Marlene Bird attends court in wheelchair to see alleged attacker

A woman whose legs had to be amputated following a horrific assault came out to a Prince Albert, Sask., courtroom yesterday to see her alleged attacker.

Marlene Bird was hospitalized for weeks after being cut, burned and found barely conscious in the parking lot of a downtown Prince Albert shopping mall on June 1.

The injuries were so severe, her legs had to be amputated and she now gets around in a wheelchair.

Bird, 47, has also had reconstructive surgery on her face. One of her eyes is still covered with a bandage.

On Wednesday, she showed up in provincial court for the video appearance of 29-year-old Leslie Black. Black is in custody at the Prince Albert correctional centre.

The appearance was brief and Black was returned to his cell.

His next court appearance will be Oct. 31.

The brutality of the attack against Bird, a member of Montreal Lake Cree Nation,  shocked people in the city of 35,000 and around the country. 

At an earlier court appearance, a judge had issued a publication ban preventing the media from releasing Bird's name.

However, Bird objected to that, saying she didn't want to be an anonymous victim, and ultimately the ban was lifted.