Marlene Bird attacker Leslie Black pleads guilty to attempted murder

Leslie Black, the 29-year-old man accused of a horrible attack on Marlene Bird in Prince Albert, Sask., last summer has entered a guilty plea to attempted murder.

Bird, 47, was hospitalized for weeks after being cut, burned and found barely conscious on June 1.

Bird, who lived a transient life in Prince Albert, was found in a shopping mall parking lot in the Saskatchewan city. She had suffered such severe burns that both her lower legs had to be amputated, and she was left with a large laceration that stretched across her entire face from the centre of her forehead down to her chin. 

On Tuesday, Black, who has been in custody since he was arrested a few weeks after the attack, was in court where he pleaded guilty to attempted murder. Police said at the time of his arrest that he had been a casual acquaintance of Bird's and had been a person of interest since the start of their investigation.

A charge of aggravated sexual assault was also laid in the case, but it was expected Tuesday that the Crown prosecutor would be staying that charge.

Following the attack, Bird endured a painful recovery and faced many difficulties in trying to get her life on a steady track.

Sentencing of Black did not immediately begin as the Crown is considering an application to have him designated a dangerous offender. The first step in that process is a psychiatric assessment.

The next court appearance is set for June 26.