2 of 5 people charged in brutal attack on teen make court appearance

Two 19-year-old women were in provincial court Tuesday to face multiple charges connected with a vicious attack on another young woman in Yarmouth, N.S.

The women are two of five suspects charged in the attack that began Friday night shortly after the victim, 17, got into an SUV on Cliff Street in Yarmouth. 

There were three other passengers in the car when the girl got in, police said. The driver took her around to multiple locations in the area where she was pulled out of the vehicle and struck and kicked, police said.

At one stop, the owner of a dog tried to get the animal to attack her, they said. A stick was also used to beat the girl and water was poured on her face and down her throat, it is alleged.

By 8 p.m., the group had stopped at a convenience store in Yarmouth and the victim managed to escape, police said.

The other suspects include another 19-year-old, a 17-year-old and a 64-year-old woman. All four teens face charges of aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, unlawful confinement and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence while the 64-year-old is charged with assault with a weapon. 

'Her face was completely just beaten'

A woman working at the Your Winners World at Acadia First Nation said the girl ran into the store screaming and begging for help. The sight was appalling, Michelle Leblanc said.

"They had beaten her so bad, her legs were bruised, they had ripped some of her fingernails off, they had ripped a lot of her hair out of her skull, her face was completely just beaten, like it was swelled up," she said.

The girl was taken to hospital. Her condition is not known.

The two women who appeared in Yarmouth court Tuesday morning will remain in custody until a bail hearing scheduled for Thursday. The other suspects are free on conditions.

Police described the incident as a targeted attack on the victim.