By Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter)

Man convicted in brutal sex assault to be added to sex offender registry

Feb 20, 2019 | 9:16 PM

LETHBRIDGE —  Another consequence has unfolded in a sex assault case that shocked the city in 2016.

In Lethbridge court Wednesday (Feb 20) morning, it was ordered that 22-year old Denzel Bird be added to the sex offender registry when his current sentence is completed.

On June 15, 2018, Bird was sentenced to 15-years in prison, after he pleaded guilty the previous September to a charge of aggravated sexual assault.

An agreed statement of facts in the case revealed that on the morning of September 30, 2016, a 25-year old woman walked by Bird on a south-side street.  He then 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.

The attack left the young woman with multiple skull fractures and bleeding on the brain, forcing doctors to put her into a medically induced coma for several weeks. 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, her wedding and honeymoon before that.

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After Bird was sentenced, the Crown requested that he be placed on the National Sex Offender Registry.  On Wednesday, the application was granted, which will make Bird’s information accessible to all police departments in order to maintain contact with him once his sentence is up.