Sentencing delayed for ex-boyfriend convicted in 2021 frying pan attack on Elnaz Hajtamiri

The Quebec man convicted of orchestrating the assault of his former girlfriend in a failed abduction attempt weeks prior to her disappearance was in court.

Warning: This article contains details that may be triggering and disturbing to readers.

The Quebec man convicted of orchestrating the assault of his former girlfriend in a failed abduction attempt weeks prior to her disappearance was in a Barrie, Ont. courtroom Thursday for what was supposed to be the start of his sentencing hearing.

Mohamad Lilo, 38, was found guilty in June of aggravated assault by a jury who found Lilo was the mastermind of an attack on Elnaz Hajtamiri, Dec. 20, 2021, in her Richmond Hill, Ont. underground parking garage.

• Lilo convicted of orchestrating attack and attempted kidnapping of Ontario woman Elnaz Hajtamiri

The proceedings were adjourned when the Crown Attorney told the court Lilo’s hearing could not proceed as scheduled, citing new developments in the case that required the Crown to speak with defence lawyers Anthony Bryant and Stephanie Marcade.

Lilo, who has been in jail for about three-and-a-half years, is charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping Hajtamiri. His murder trial is set to begin in the spring. The allegations against him have not been tested in court.

• Ex-boyfriend charged in connection with Elnaz Hajtamiri abduction in Wasaga Beach, Ont.

In June, the jury agreed with the Crown that Lilo hired several men to follow, hurt, and kidnap Hajtamiri. The assault, by two men, one armed with a frying pan, sent Hajtamiri to hospital with a large gash on her forehead that required stitches. The court heard the assault was part of a failed kidnapping attempt that was thwarted by a passerby.

Police said Lilo became obsessed with Hajtamiri, after she dumped him in late 2021. Determined to get her back, Lilo, the court heard, sent men to watch, assault, and kidnap her as she walked to her car with a friend.

The man accused of hitting Hajtamiri, Harshdeep Binner, pleaded guilty in June to assault with a weapon. His co-accused, Riyasat Singh, who recorded the attack on his phone, pleaded guilty in late 2022 and was deported to India.

Another co-accused, Sukhpreet Singh, who was wanted on a Canada-Wide warrant since 2023 was arrested in June by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in San Antonio, Texas.

Hajtamiri, who had gone into hiding with loved ones in Wasaga Beach following the attack, was abducted on the night of Jan. 12, 2022, by three masked men claiming to be police officers with a warrant for her arrest.

Loved ones said, Hajtamiri’s SUV was later found to have tracking devices on it. She has not been seen or heard from since.

Lilo’s sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin in Feb. 2026.