The man who attacked his ex-girlfriend with a sword, cutting off most of her fingers, has pleaded guilty, but his lawyer has sent him for a psychiatric assessment to determine if he was too mentally ill at the time to understand his actions were wrong.

Collin Dennis Ayorech's preliminary inquiry was supposed to take place this week but instead he entered guilty pleas on Monday after negotiations between prosecutor Joe Mercier and defence lawyer Rebecca Snukal.

Ayorech has a history of schizophrenia and serious addictions to alcohol and cocaine.

Originally charged with attempted murder, arson and possession of methamphetamine, Ayorech pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, arson and breaching a no-contact order in connection with the June 9 attack on Dawn Warden in her Airdrie home.

After attacking Warden with a sword, severing many of her fingers, Ayorech stuffed his victim in a closet and lit a mattress on fire on the other side of the door.

Warden likely survived the attack because her 18-year-old son was home and noticed the smoke. Along with neighbours, he helped get paramedics and firefighters to the home.

Snukal has requested an NCR (not criminally responsible) assessment, which will determine if Ayorech was suffering a psychotic break at the time of the attack.

If he is found to have been suffering psychosis at the time, Ayorech could continue to reside and be treated at the forensic psychiatry hospital instead of being sent to prison. His progress and treatment would be assessed annually.

Ayorech has a lengthy criminal history including convictions for violent offences and was on bail on assault charges at the time of the attack.

He is also due to be sentenced on a number of other charges, some of which involve Warden as the victim.

History of schizophrenia

According to a 2012 Alberta Court of Appeal decision following convictions for weapons and robbery offences, Ayorech has schizophrenia and a severe substance abuse problem.

At the time, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Sergio Santana found Ayorech was "ill-equipped to survive in the prison system" because of his mental illness and addictions.

"It could be concluded that his current predicament is the result of the superimposition of a major mental disorder on an individual with limited intellectual abilities, behavioural difficulties and a severe addiction to cocaine and alcohol."

Santana found the offender was in "a vicious cycle of psychosis and substance abuse that has had severe implications on Mr. Ayorech as he has probably experienced further cognitive decline and serious legal implications that had rendered him seriously disabled."

The current case will be back before provincial court Judge Anne Brown in February. Brown will deal with the results of the NCR assessment as well as sentencing on Ayorech's other charges at that time.