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WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
The teenager accused of a vicious attack on an eight-year-old girl in the tiny rural eastern Ontario village of Quadeville last year pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated sexual assault on Friday.
In July 2025, Ontario Provincial Police arrested and charged him with attempted murder and sexual assault involving a weapon. He was 17 at the time.
That came weeks after the girl was found with life-threatening injuries in a densely wooded area, plunging the community into fear and uncertainty.
According to an agreed statement of facts filed in court in Pembroke on Friday, the teen lured the girl with candy, sexually assaulted her, severely slashed her throat, stabbed her several times in the abdomen and left her in the woods.
The June 23, 2025, attack left her unable to speak for weeks. She was hospitalized for 49 days.
“Much to everyone’s surprise, she has now recovered sufficiently that she is able to speak,” according to the agreed statement of facts.
Police were notified two and a half hours after the girl’s disappearance.
Many members of the small close-knit community helped search for her — including the teen, according to the agreed statement of facts. A search dog found the girl conscious but with “a decreased level of awareness.”
She was taken to CHEO in Ottawa where, given her wounds and other evidence, police “and others” wondered if she’d been mauled by an animal. After consulting experts on wildlife and animal DNA, however, that was ruled out.
The teen gave a statement to police on June 26, 2025, and was charged later.
He remains in custody and will undergo a sexual behaviour assessment.
No date for his sentencing has been set yet.
Before Friday’s plea, a trial on the original charges was set to begin in January.
If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. For support in your area, you can look for crisis lines and local services via the Ending Sexual Violence Association of Canada database.
