By Patrick Burles - Lethbridge News Now

Denzel Bird receives 15-year prison sentence

Jun 15, 2018 | 3:36 PM

LETHBRIDGE – A random and brutal attack on a 25-year-old Lethbridge woman that shocked the city nearly two years ago, has resulted ina 15-year prison sentence for her attacker.

Denzel Dre Colton Bird was handed the sentence Friday afternoon, June 15, after pleading guilty to a charge of aggravated sexual assault last September.

Both the Crown and the defence have agreed that he should also receive a 921 day credit for time already spent in custody. 

The Crown had recommended a term of imprisonment of 20-years, while the defence had suggested a prison sentence of up to eight years.

Facts of the case

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Through an agreed statement of facts, it was revealed that after the woman walked by Bird on the street on the morning of Sept. 30, 2016, he approached her from behind and struck her in the head with a metal pipe. She fell to the ground, where the Crown believes she hit her face on the pavement. Bird then dragged her into an alley, removed some of her clothing and sexually assaulted her, noting that he knew he had hurt his victim badly. He then tried to put the victim into a garbage bin that he tipped on its side, tossed her clothing beside a fence and the pipe into someone’s front yard.

He then returned to a garage where he had found the pipe earlier and went to sleep, before later being asked to leave by the homeowner.

The victim meanwhile, was found by two men who were on their way to work. Paramedics arrived a short time later, noting that the woman was near death.

Following Bird’s arrest, he initially denied having any involvement in the attack but ultimately broke down and admitted everything to police.

Impact on the victim

In a victim impact statement from the young woman at Bird’s sentencing hearing in April, she told the court that the attack left her with multiple skull fractures and bleeding on the brain, forcing doctors to put her into a medically induced coma for several weeks, during which time they didn’t know if she would survive.

She spent four months in hospital and had to re-learn things like walking and talking. She still suffers from balance and coordination issues, she cannot smell, and has been treated for a sexually transmitted disease that Bird gave her, with ongoing testing for any other diseases that may still arise. She also struggles with her emotions and has significant memory issues, including a gap that covers the attack, and her wedding and honeymoon before that.

Her submissions then concluded with a powerful statement.

“There have been times where I had even wished Bird had finished me off. It was in moments like that I had to remind myself that I have control over what Bird has taken from me.

“I am a survivor.”