A Newfoundland woman who was physically assaulted by a high-risk offender now charged in a sexual assault case in Halifax is speaking out, saying her warnings about Sem Paul Obed went unheeded.
For Andrea Pardy, news that Obed is back in police custody comes with a lot of emotion.
“I was saddened by it, but now I’m just angry,” says Pardy, who lives in Gander, N.L.
Pardy was working at a bar in Labrador in 2012. She was about to close up for the night when Obed walked in. He beat her violently, but Pardy managed to escape.
“As one person he had a big smile on his face, so I got to meet two different sides of Sem Obed, which was very scary,” she recalls.
Obed was convicted of assault and spent two years behind bars. He had already spent six years in prison for attempted murder and sexual assault in the late 1990s.
With more than 30 convictions, both police and the Parole Board of Canada had deemed Obed a high risk to reoffend in a violent sexual manner.
“The thought was always in the back of my mind, when is this going to happen? Is it going to happen?” says Pardy.
Now, Obed is facing new charges in connection with an alleged sexual assault in Halifax.
A woman told Halifax Regional Police she was sexually assaulted by a man who broke into a home on Cunard Street Friday morning.
Police arrested Obed at a home in the Fairview area less than five hours later. He is facing charges of aggravated sexual assault, choking to overcome resistance, uttering threats, break and enter, and two counts of breaching court orders, in connection with the incident.
Experts who work with sexual assault victims say the case highlights the need to have a broader discussion about how the justice system handles violent repeat offenders.
“It also shows us the need for sustainable, ongoing supports for victims, because once someone has been targeted for sexual violence, once they have been traumatized, this is an ongoing reality for them,” says Jackie Stevens of the Avalon Sexual Assault Centre.
Pardy believes the system is failing when it comes to Sem Paul Obed, and she doesn’t want anyone else’s life to change the way hers did six years ago.
“I consider myself lucky,” she says. “I can’t imagine what all his other victims have had to go through over the years.”
Obed is scheduled to return to court on June 20 at 9 a.m. for an election and plea hearing. None of the allegations have been tested in court.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Heidi Petracek
