The suspect in the brutal beating of a teenage girl near Shelburne was back in court on Wednesday to enter a plea.
According to the agreed statement of facts, Jade Cowan, 19, and a 14-year-old girl knew each other and were hanging out alone at an area called the pit at a Shelburne Park in July 2014.
At one point, Cowan hit the teen's head multiple times with a rock. The court also heard Cowan choked the teen, who tried to fight back, but lost consciousness.
She did regain consciousness and managed to get help from a passerby. By then Cowan was long gone. The teen suffered severe injuries to her face and spent six days in hospital. Surgeons were not able to repair the nerve damage to her left eye.
Cowan was arrested hours after the attack and on Wednesday he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.
According to the facts introduced in court, police found the victim’s blood on a rock at the scene and on Cowan’s shorts and shoes at his grandparents’ house.
Cowan told investigators he didn’t remember what happened, but admitted something must have because the t-shirt he was wearing was missing.
After being interviewed by police, Cowan wrote a note stating, “words can not explain the sorrow I feel and I’ve known that I have suffered mental health problems, but that is no reason for the pain I have caused."
The maximum sentence is 14 years in prison. The Crown is also seeking dangerous offender status and the next step is for Cowan to have a psychiatric assessment.
The judge will ultimately decide whether Cowan should be deemed a dangerous offender.
