SASKATOON, Sask. — A sentencing hearing in Saskatoon Provincial Court on Sept. 21 heard detailed accounts from two victims describing how their lives changed after Gina Pearl Beatty attacked a 75-year-old woman with a shovel and assaulted a special constable during processing.
Court heard the senior had been walking her dog in a community garden in Eastview when she was assaulted. Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) officers found her crying and visibly relieved when they arrived. She was bleeding heavily, and police recovered a clump of her hair at the scene.
"She hurried towards the officer and embraced the officer," Crown prosecutor Muhammad Zubair told the court. "She was sobbing and couldn't really breathe, and then she was able to calm down once the officer hugged her for a couple of seconds."
The officer then saw a huge gash on her right forearm and described it as about three to four centimetres, bleeding quite a bit, court heard.
"And then he took the victim's arm to look at it, and that's when he noticed more blood coming from the bottom of her [arm], and it looked like a very deep cut," added the prosecutor. "The victim then stated that she was attacked with a shovel, and that the perpetrator ran in that direction, and she pointed in the direction towards the bushes that were a couple of hundred yards off into the distance."
Saskatoon Police Service officers used a police dog to tract the suspect, later identified as Beatty.
Police said Beatty appeared to be impaired by drugs or alcohol.
"She seemed to have a far-off stare," said Zubair.
Senior describes lasting physical and emotional impact
In her victim impact statement, court heard the senior couldn’t walk, eat or sleep for weeks after the attack. She stopped swimming, withdrew from social activities and became cautious around strangers in her neighbourhood. She also underwent months of physiotherapy.
The prosecutor said the "attack left her in shock and emotionally distraught." He said she was hit repeatedly by a shovel, and dragged to the ground.
Special constable details injury
Court heard an SPS special constable was scratched and punched in the mouth and face while processing Beatty in detention. The assault caused stitches, scans and ongoing dental monitoring. The officer cried as she read her victim impact statement and struggled at several points to continue.
She said she has experienced nightmares and symptoms consistent with PTSD. She also described a fear response triggered by seeing people with blue hair, which matched Beatty’s appearance at the time.
"It's not in my statement, but I would like to add that multiple times during every one of my shifts, my son reaches out to me to make sure I'm safe," said the officer. "This has impacted my life in so many ways, some of which are very hard and difficult to admit or even talk about. It's impacted my job, my ability to feel safe."
Earlier violence in Prince Albert
Court also heard about Beatty’s earlier violence in Prince Albert that is being included in her Saskatoon sentencing. On July 20, 2025, she struck a man’s truck with a large stick and punched a woman twice in the face.
Witnesses told police Beatty screamed “I’m the devil” during the confrontation. Beatty was tackled to the ground and restrained by bystanders until officers arrived.
Crown seeks custodial sentence
Crown prosecutor Zubair told the court that Beatty was on a release order to keep the peace at the time of the Aug. 21, 2025, assault and on a probation order stemming from her conviction for burning down Prince Albert’s Senator Allen Bird Memorial Centre in 2022.
The Crown argued that the seriousness of the victims’ injuries, the unprovoked nature of the attack on an elderly woman, and the impact on both victims warranted a custodial sentence of two years less a day, followed by probation.
Defence argues for conditional sentence
Defence Kimbal MacMillan acknowledged the harm to the victims and said Beatty expressed remorse. He argued for a conditional sentence order, to be served in the community, saying her Gladue factors reduce her moral culpability and that she has taken significant steps towards rehabilitation.
The pre-sentence report said she was doing well on probation but her addictions escalated in the summer of 2025 and methamphetamine use contributed to her instability. The report said she had experienced several losses in the years leading to her offences, including the deaths of close friends, which she didn’t process and began struggling emotionally.
Court heard 28-year-old Beatty has bipolar disorder and possibly schizophrenia.
Beatty apologizes in court
Beatty, who is from Deschambault Lake and a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, addressed the court in a lower, subdued tone as she apologized.
“I just feel very remorseful for my actions,” she said. “I feel somewhat embarrassed. I’ve been doing a lot better than I was at that time and I know it doesn’t change facts.”
Decision expected Sept. 29
Judge Bruce Bauer reserved his decision on whether Beatty will serve her sentence in custody or in the community to Sept. 29.
ljoy@sasktoday.ca
