Israeli Malka Leifer: rape + 74 child sexual abuse charges

[TonyGosling]

original headline
Israel rejects extradition of Australian wanted for child sex abuse
changed to
Court delays decision on extraditing alleged sex abuser to Australia
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-rejects-extradition-of-australian -wanted-for-child-sex-abuse/

Dismissing prosecution's request, court says female suspect should be dealt with 'in the realm of mental illness,' new hearing scheduled for March 28

A court said Tuesday that it will delay consideration of whether to extradite a woman accused of sex crimes in Australia until a psychiatrist can review her case.

Australia wants the woman extradited for allegedly sexually abusing children while she was a teacher at a local school, Adass Israel.

Israeli police have said she is feigning mental illness to avoid extradition.

Her lawyer, Yehuda Fried, said earlier that the Jerusalem District Court ruled she should be dealt with “in the realm of mental illness.” Fried said that likely meant a years-long process before her extradition can be reconsidered.

But Israel’s Court Administration later said that the court will convene again on March 28 after the psychiatric evaluation has been carried out, indicating an extradition decision could be taken sooner.

She was arrested following an undercover investigation at Interpol’s request and is suspected of obstructing Israeli court proceedings by attempting to hide evidence.

A court previously stopped extradition proceedings after determining she was not fit to stand trial, though police had claimed she was pretending to be mentally ill to avoid extradition.

Dassi Erlich, who has accused the woman of abuse carried out when she was a pupil, said she was “dumbfounded by the news” of the court ruling.

“Our hearts are heavy with despair. We are silenced once again in the face of yet another stalling tactic to delay justice,” she told The Times of Israel in Melbourne. “In light of this disappointment please give us some time to process this new development.”

Earlier, Erlich said “there are a lot of questions that would need to answered” regarding whether the suspect’s psychological condition was real.
The Adass Israel School in Melbourne, Australia (screen capture: Google Maps)

Asserting that the woman was faking her panic attacks, Erlich charged, “There is so much evidence it is hard to refute. She is living a normal life [in Israel].”

The local Australian Jewish community has largely been supportive of her cause, she said, including some within the Adass Israel School community who have contacted her privately and on condition of anonymity.

“They are too afraid to speak out publicly,” she said.

Peter Wertheim, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told The Times of Israel that his organization fully supported an extradition.

“This case is of the utmost importance to our community,” he said.

[TonyGosling]

"What parallel dimension are we working on here? A judicial system that shows more concern for the humiliation of the defendant over the humiliation of her victims?"

Malka Leifer: Judge says former Melbourne principal accused of child abuse can be freed from detention in Israel
By Middle East correspondent Sophie McNeill
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-07/malka-leifer-freed-from-detentio n-under-house-arrest/9525310

There were angry scenes outside a Jerusalem court after an Israeli judge ruled former Melbourne principal Malka Leifer could be freed from police custody to home detention.

Ms Leifer is wanted by Victorian police on 74 charges of child sexual abuse, including rape.

The former principal of the Addas ultra orthodox girls school in Melbourne has been in custody since February 12 after Israeli police rearrested the 54-year-old, accusing her of faking mental illness for the past three years in order to avoid extradition to Australia.

The court was delayed by nearly an hour to wait for the arrival of senior Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman.

Rabbi Grossman, who has never previously been associated with the case, argued to the Judge Ram Winograd that it was a "humiliation" for Ms Leifer to remain in custody and it would be bad for her mental health.

He told the court his two assistants would monitor the former principal and that they would "call police immediately" if she left the address of the house arrest.

Rabbi Grossman told the Judge he "knows what jails are like" and he wants to supervise Ms Leifer to "save her life".

The Rabbi is well known for his charity work in Israel and is a recipient of the 2004 Israel Prize, generally regarded as the state's highest cultural honour.

Judge Winograd set bail for Ms Leifer at $37,000 and ordered that she will be released on March 9 at 10:00am.

Victims not happy with release

Outside the court, supporters of Ms Leifer's alleged victims yelled questions at Rabbi Grossman, demanding to know why he had chosen to support her case.

"What about her alleged victims?" former Melbourne resident Adam Segal yelled in the hallway at the Rabbi.

"If you want to help, put her on a plane."

Ms Leifer's alleged victims say they are outraged at the court's decisions.

"How dare a rabbi come in and support her and talk about her humiliation? And her mental state? What about us?" former Addas student Dassi Erlich said.

"Today's ruling is an outrageous travesty of justice. We are utterly appalled.

"An official sign-off on the psychiatrists report was requested three times by the court. The report remains unsigned. What is the reason for this absolute failure of procedure?"

Ms Erlich said she and her sister have "tried not to be angry with Israel" but they are outraged by how the court allowed the Rabbi to present his opinion.

"This sounded like a third-world courtroom," she told the ABC.

"Why is his voice given precedence over all these other voices?

"Why has this random rabbi who has nothing to do with this case been listened to?

"What parallel dimension are we working on here? A judicial system that shows more concern for the humiliation of the defendant over the humiliation of its victims?"

Israeli state attorney Matan Atikva told the ABC he would appeal the ruling to the Israeli Supreme Court.

Related Story: Israeli court told alleged sex offender is fit to stand trial in Australia
Related Story: Alleged Melbourne sex offender 'who faked mental illness' re-arrested in Israel