It's been almost a year since an Edmonton man convicted of sexually assaulting and unlawfully confining a 16-year-old girl disappeared before serving his sentence.

Sinan Hadi, 36, is a former pharmacist who is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant.

Now 18, his victim struggles to accept that her attacker — despite being convicted — has been able to get away.

His victim's identity is protected by a publication ban. CBC is calling her Emma.

"It's scary and it disgusts me," she said. "I don't like to think about it."

Court documents show that instead of showing up for his sentencing in May 2018, Hadi breached the conditions of his recognizance order and went missing.

Cases like this undermine trust in the criminal justice system, said Mary Jane James, CEO of the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton.

In turn, it can lead to lower sexual assault reporting rates, she explained.

"We know that a low reporting rate is very problematic," James said. "If people don't reach out for the help they need, they're suffering in silence."

'I thought I was going to die'

Emma rear-ended Hadi's car while turning into the parking lot of West Edmonton Mall on Sept. 24, 2016. She was leaning against the passenger seat of his car when Hadi abruptly drove away, trapping her inside, she told CBC.

He took her cellphone and headed south, saying that he was taking Emma to see his lawyer.

"It felt terrible, I felt like I couldn't do anything at all," she recalled. "My only other option was jumping out on the highway."

Her fear intensified when Hadi drove to a house instead.

At this point, honestly, I thought I was going to die. I thought this was it. — Emma, sexual assault survivor

"At this point, honestly, I thought I was going to die," Emma said.

"I thought this was it. I'm trapped in this house now with this guy. I have no idea who he is, I have no idea where I am, and he has my phone."

Hadi groped and kissed her.

Desperate to escape, Emma convinced him to take her back to her vehicle by promising to go on a date with him. She got her phone back by telling Hadi that she wanted to save his contact information.

Once at the mall, Hadi forcibly kissed Emma, shoving his tongue in her mouth.

"While he was doing this, I unlocked the door behind me and ran out."

Emma filed a police report the next morning. Hadi was arrested by Edmonton police that same day.

Hadi disappears

The case went to provincial court on March 16, 2018. He was convicted and ordered by Judge Gregory Lepp to turn in his passport within two days and attend a pre-sentencing appointment. The conditions were added to his recognizance order.

Hadi left the courtroom. And then he disappeared.

That's why he left. Because he could. He had the opportunity. - Emma, sexual assault survivor

"I don't even understand how that's OK, why he was allowed to do that," Emma said. "That's why he left. Because he could. He had the opportunity."

James hopes that Hadi's escape will be a lesson for the authorities.

"You can't necessarily trust someone with a passport," said James. "The potential for that person escaping our country and fleeing somewhere, to never be found again, is higher."

Hadi was sentenced in absence to 15 months in jail on June 25, 2018.

Warrant issued

Recognizance orders are usually enforced by the police force that proceeded with the arrest. The Edmonton Police Service has not been able to confirm to CBC if that was the case with Hadi.

"The EPS structures its enforcement efforts based on considerations such as the history of an offender, the severity of an offence, the level of risk to the community and the strength of conditions set upon release," said spokesperson Cheryl Shepard, in an emailed statement.

"We work very closely with our judicial partners throughout this process and every effort is made to identify and manage the offender(s) accordingly."

EPS was alerted to Hadi's disappearance by Emma's parents, who had been told that he was missing by the Alberta College of Pharmacy in late April. Emma said that they had contacted the college to file a complaint against him.

A warrant was issued for Hadi's arrest on April 30.

Emma was devastated to find out that Hadi was missing. She felt worse on getting that news than "when this whole thing was actually happening to me."

She hopes that sharing her story will lead to better enforcement of court orders.

"When they request that [offenders] hand in their documents, someone should be following up and making sure," Emma said.

"There should be some kind of way to prevent this from happening."