An 18-year old Port Alberni man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in Roger Creek Park.
An official with the provincial prosecutors office confirmed that the man, who remains in custody, appeared in Port Alberni Provincial Court before Judge Cowling on Thursday, Sept. 5.
Lawyer Steve Littley, who is representing the man, entered guilty pleas to charges of aggravated sexual assault and choking with intent to sexually assault.
The man was 17 when the incident took place and cannot be named under the Youth Justice Criminal Act.
No pleas were entered on other charges connected to the incident, including attempted murder and sexual assault with a weapon.
The man is also facing a common assault charge unrelated to the incident.
The Crown has made an application for the man to be tried as an adult.
The Crown has also requested a psychiatric assessment and pre-sentence report. The man is Aboriginal and a Gladue appendage will also form part of the pre-sentence report. A Gladue report is specialized document about an Aboriginal offender that provides sentencing judges with cultural-specific details of an offender's background that may be considered during sentencing.
The man will remain in police custody and will appear in court again in late September.
On May 21, a 16-year-old girl called 9-1-1 at 5 p.m. saying she had been assaulted. She was taken by ambulance to West Coast General Hospital and airlifted to Victoria General Hospital, where she remained for three weeks with serious injuries.
The man was arrested the following day without incident.