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Two women accused in a violent child abuse case no longer face attempted murder charges following a preliminary hearing.

Each suspect was charged with one count of attempted murder in connection to offences against a girl younger than 10 years old, but Ajay Juneja, defence lawyer for one of the accused, said the prosecution decided not to proceed on that particular count following the preliminary hearing that wrapped up Aug. 30.

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Court records show that the women — ages 25 and 23 — each still face more than a dozen charges in connection to alleged offences against five children over several months in 2017.

The women’s names are covered by a publication ban to protect the identity of the children. At least two of the children were younger than 10 years old at the time of the alleged offences.

The case is next scheduled to be in court Wednesday, when Juneja said arguments will be made about bail.

Evidence heard at the preliminary inquiry is subject to a court-ordered publication ban. Such hearings are used in serious matters to determine if the prosecution has enough evidence to justify proceeding to trial in the province’s superior court, the Court of Queen’s Bench.

The 25-year-old faces five counts of unlawful confinement and two counts each of aggravated assault, abandoning a child, criminal negligence causing bodily harm, and failure to provide the necessaries of life. The 23-year-old faces the same charges, plus an additional two counts of assault with a weapon.

When the charges were initially laid in December 2017, a belt was described as the weapon used in the assault.

pparsons@postmedia.com

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