Saskatchewan man accused of setting woman on fire wants guilty plea expunged

PRINCE ALBERT, Alta. – A man who pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of a homeless woman who was set on fire has been back in court looking to withdraw that original plea.

Leslie Black, 30, asked court in Prince Albert, Sask., for the plea to be expunged, arguing he had not fully understood the legal repercussions.

Marlene Bird, 49, was brutally attacked in a downtown parking lot in June 2014 and was left with injuries so bad both of her legs were amputated and her eyesight was impaired.

Although Black originally told police he had burned Bird because he was stressed and scared, in his testimony on Wednesday he denied setting her on fire, though he did say he stomped on her face until she was unconscious.

Lawyer/client confidentiality was waived when his former legal aid lawyer Adam Masiowski took the witness stand to detail his involvement in Black’s case.

Much of the confusion seemed to stem from the possibility of Black being designated a dangerous offender.

Masiowski testified he told Black if the prosecution was successful in having him registered as a dangerous offender, he could be in prison for the rest of his life, though he described that prospect as unlikely.

Or Black could agree to plead guilty to attempted murder, since Masiowski knew the Crown was seeking a sentence of 10 to 12 years. He admitted he never told Black there would be the option of parole after seven years under a dangerous offender designation.

When on the witness stand earlier in the day, Black said he would never have pleaded guilty had he known.

Defence lawyer Brent Little argued Masiowski had not fully explained what he meant.

Transcripts from one of Black’s numerous appearances in court showed a judge had talked directly to Black about dangerous offender designations, to which Black had told the judge he understood.

When pressed, Black said he wasn’t sure why he hadn’t spoken up earlier in court about the matter.

Masiowski said there was a “child-like quality” to Black, that he was soft-spoken and complicated legal ideas were not his strong suit.

The lawyer withdrew from Black’s case on Aug. 11.

If the charges against Black are not expunged, the matter will proceed to sentencing.

Little said if the judge sides with Black and the charges are expunged then the matter would return to “square one.”

Court will reconvene May 12.

(CKBI)