A 16-year-old girl has been sentenced to three years for attempted murder after setting another student on fire at a Saskatoon high school in 2024.It is the maximum youth sentence allowed.The teen was sentenced on Monday in Saskatoon youth court. The punishment includes two years in custody and one year under community supervision. She was not given credit for time already served.The girl, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, had earlier pleaded guilty to attempted murder and to unlawfully causing bodily harm to a teacher who tried to help the victim during the attack at Evan Hardy Collegiate..The victim, who also cannot be named, told the court the burns covered about 40% of her body and changed the way she looks and sounds. In a statement read by her parents during last month’s sentencing hearing, she said she now feels more anxious in crowds, has endured intense physical pain, and has had to move to a new school.The court heard the two girls had once been friends. Their relationship ended after the attacker set fire to the roof of the school library. An agreed statement of facts said the victim was then harassed repeatedly, leading her parents to contact the police.The court also heard the offender had a history of mental health struggles before the attack and had been under constant supervision at school after concerns were reported to police..Crown prosecutor Zachary Huywan said outside court the sentence was an appropriate outcome.He said it reflects the seriousness of the crime and the harm done to the victim and the wider community. Huywan also said the Crown could no longer pursue an adult sentence after a Supreme Court of Canada decision in July clarified the legal test.He said the victim’s family is disappointed but understands the legal limits.A friend of the victim, also protected by a publication ban, said the case shows what can happen when students’ safety concerns are not taken seriously.“Although the court process is all over, the weight in my chest will never leave,” the 16-year-old girl told the media.
