Obed should stay in prison, victim insists

The man convicted of attacking a Labrador bartender last month should have received a much longer sentence, one of his earlier victims says.

Sem Paul Obed was given a jail term of two years plus a day,  after he was caught for an August attack at the Sand Bar lounge in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Obed has a lengthy criminal record, including convictions for such crimes as attempted murder and sexual assault.

Clara Winters, whom Obed attacked in Hopedale two decades ago, said she still has scars — including one above her left eye.

But she told CBC News the lasting impact has been more than physical.

"To this day, I'm still very, very afraid," she said.

Obed broke into Winters' house, and before she knew what was happening, he was beating her. The next thing she can remember about the vicious attack is waking up in a hospital, three days later.

The largely Inuit community banned Obed from living there.

Although Winters knows that Obed is now in jail, she said she still deals with strong feelings about her attacker.

"I know I will always be afraid for the rest of my life," she said in an interview.

Winters said that Obed's criminal history should have brought a longer sentence for the latest attack, in which Obed beat a woman who closing down the Sand Bar for the night. She had told Obed he was too late to order a drink.

"I think he should be put away for life, because this is not the first time this has happened to other women," Winters said.

Obed is eligible to apply for parole in March.