Lethbridge man charged in violent sexual assault drops lawyer

A man accused of a vicious attack on a womanin Lethbridge, Alta. which left her having to relearn how to walk and talk after hovering near death formonths in hospital has fired his lawyer.

Denzel Dre Colton Bird told a judge on Thursday during a closed-circuit TV court appearance that he no longer wants defence lawyer Greg White to represent him.

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White, who asked last month for more time to talk to the Crown about the case, has not revealed why the 20-year-old man has dropped him.

Bird faces charges that include attempted murder and aggravated sexual assault after a 25-year-old woman was allegedly struck with a weapon, dragged into an alley and sexually assaulted last September.

The alleged victim was released from a Calgary hospital in late January and her family says she has to relearn how to walk and talk as she recovers at home in Lethbridge.

Bird's case has been adjourned to April 19 to give him time to find new legal counsel.

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