Victim of attempted murder has scooter stolen

By: Rebbeca Marroquin

A double-amputee burn victim who nearly died after an attempt on her life has had insult added to her injuries after discovering her mobility scooter was stolen last month.

Marlene Bird has required a wheelchair since June 2014, when she was brutally attacked and set on fire by Leslie Ivan Black and then left in a Prince Albert parking lot.

Black later pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder. A further charge of aggravated sexual assault was stayed by the Crown.

Bird currently lives in Timber Bay, Sask., a community where she said she could freely ride her scooter without help.

She said the scooter was stolen alongside other items in a break-in while she was visiting Prince Albert for a few weeks this summer.

Without her scooter, Bird said she feels lonesome and less independent.

“I want to go around by myself instead of depending on people,” she said.

Bird also said she is afraid to go back home after finding the letters “TS” written in red on her fridge upon discovery of the break-in, as the letters could be a calling card of the Terror Squad street gang.

She told paNOW she filed a police report and said officers came to her house the same day to take photos.

In the meantime, Bird is still waiting to learn her attacker’s sentence. A judge is currently determining if Black will be declared a dangerous offender, a designation which carries an indefinite prison term. That decision will be handed down Aug. 30.