A hearing to consider a dangerous offender designation for a man who sexually assaulted a stranger in her Halifax home in June 2018 is scheduled to begin next month.
The Crown’s application to declare Sem Paul Obed a dangerous offender will be heard March 23.
A second hearing date has also been set for April 9 to consider a pre-sentence report that will examine factors in Obed’s cultural and socio-economic background.
READ MORE: Sem Paul Obed to stand trial in 2020 for alleged break-in and sexual assault
Obed pleaded guilty in January to charges of aggravated sexual assault, choking to overcome resistance, breaking and entering, and breaching the terms of a peace bond by consuming or possessing alcohol.
The 49-year-old, originally from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, N.L., has a criminal record going back decades.
Records obtained by The Canadian Press from the provincial court in Happy Valley-Goose Bay list dozens of convictions including attempted murder, sexual assault and assault with a weapon.
READ MORE: Crown to oppose release of Sem Paul Obed in aggravated assault case
Police issued a high-risk offender notice in 2014 when Obed was released from federal prison, saying he was “a very high risk to reoffend in a sexual and violent manner.”
The warning followed a Parole Board of Canada decision that said Obed has a well-established pattern of extreme violence that began at an early age.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2020.