Man charged with assaulting 10-year-old girl in Montreal's east end
CBC
A Montreal man is facing assault charges, after a 10-year-old girl was beaten on Monday, as she was walking home from school in the east end neighbourhood of Pointe-aux-Trembles.
Tanvir Singh, 21, appeared in court this morning and was charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm and possession of a weapon.
Montreal police say it appeared to be a random assault.
They say the assailant attacked the girl as she was walking along Tricentenaire Boulevard with another girl at around noon.
Police say the assailant grabbed the girl and punched her several times in the face and head, before dragging her for several metres.
"People that noticed the altercation did intervene and stop the aggression," said Raphaël Bergeron, spokesperson for the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
Bergeron said bystanders flagged down officers in the area, who managed to arrest the man.
The ten-year-old was taken to hospital with multiple head injuries but her life is not in danger.
According to the Crown prosecutor, Singh will undergo a psychosocial evaluation. He is also set to appear in court Wednesday for a bail hearing.
In a statement, the Centre de Services Scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Île, which oversees the girl's school, said she was attacked on her way home from school.
"We are shaken by this news," the statement read. "We are putting in place every means to support students and staff."
The service centre said an email had been sent out to parents informing them of the attack and a critical intervention team composed of seven psychologists has been deployed to the school until at least Wednesday. Employee assistance program resources are being offered to staff members.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante condemned the vicious attack, saying appropriate measures would be taken in response.
"My thoughts are with her right now, this young [girl], but also her family, who must be in shock right now," said Plante.