Leslie Black. Photos courtesy Facebook.
On Monday, Marlene Bird spent time in the same room as the man who attempted to kill her in downtown Prince Albert in June of 2014.
Leslie Black is going through a dangerous offender hearing in Prince Albert, and Bird spent a portion of the first day of that hearing in court.
It’s been nearly two years since Black entered a guilty plea to attempted murder for the violent attack against Bird. Bird, who is originally from Timber Bay, is now wheelchair-bound because her legs needed to be amputated from the injuries she sustained that night, and her vision is limited due to cuts sustained to her face.
Black sat quietly in the prisoner’s box throughout testimony from Trina Debler, a programming manager at the Prince Albert Penitentiary who was questioned about the type of risk management programming available for offenders at the federal institution.
She said dangerous offenders are eligible to take programming that addresses a broad range of issues such as sexual offences, family violence, drug abuse, and alcohol addiction. The goal is to minimize a prisoner’s risk to reoffend by managing the factors that lead them to commit crime, Debler said.
Black has yet to set foot in the penitentiary. He has spent the majority of his time in prison at the Regina Correctional Centre and is being held at the Prince Albert Correctional Centre during the hearing.
His criminal case has wound its way through court in a sometimes-confusing set of steps that have delayed sentencing. For example, in April of 2015 Black entered a guilty plea for attempted murder, but then five months later he spoke for himself in court saying he wanted to rescind the plea and go to trial.
That request was denied after a hearing held early last year. Despite the delays, the Crown prosecutor’s office has maintained its intention to seek dangerous offender status for Black. If successful, he will legally be among “the most dangerous violent and sexual predators in the country.”
Dangerous offenders are subject to strict conditions when released from prison, which are put in place by law “to protect all Canadians.” The strongest designation essentially means a person will spend their life behind bars.
Black’s hearing is expected to wrap up early next week, with testimony from programming staff at the penitentiary and two psychiatrists on the docket.