Court rules accused child sex-abuser teacher Malka Leifer to be placed in home detention
Herald Sun
Christine McGinn and AFP
7 March 2018
Malka Leifer is brought to a courtroom in Jerusalem for a hearing last month. AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean
AN Israeli court ruling that former Melbourne school principal Malka Leifer, who is accused of child sex crimes, could be freed from custody into home detention has angered her alleged victims.
Dassi Erlich, who has accused Leifer of abusing her, told AAP last night she was “absolutely outraged” at the ruling as relayed to her by friends in the courtroom in Jerusalem.
Victorian police are seeking Leifer’s extradition to Australia on 74 charges of child sexual abuse.
A Jerusalem court yesterday ordered house arrest for Leifer.
The magistrates court ruled that Malka should be released from the closed psychiatric ward where she has been held for the past week but delayed implementation of the order for 48 hours to allow prosecutors seeking her extradition to appeal.
Malka Leifer arrives at court for an earlier hearing. AFP Photo/Ahmad Gharabli
Ms Erlich said Leifer’s lawyer, Yehuda Fried, brought in Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman who said he would take care of the former educator.
“The rabbi who is guaranteeing he will take care of her, he has said in court that it is humiliating for her to be held under custody,” she said.
“We now understand that the prosecutors are going to appeal this decision but at the moment the judge’s standing rules that she will be let out on bail.
“If this bail is upheld and the prosecutor loses the appeal on this, there are absolutely no restrictions on her movements. She is free to do whatever she pleases.
“So basically we are back to square one.”
Ms Erlich said the greatest fear was that Leifer would continue to evade justice.
“We are close to losing hope, we will never give up,” she said.
The 54-year-old former principal has been in custody since February 12 after Israeli police rearrested her, accusing her of faking mental illness to avoid extradition to Australia.
Jewish community leader Manny Waks, an advocate for Kol v’Oz, a Jewish organisation combating child sex abuse, said it was “outrageous” that Leifer had been allowed to “continue her charade”.
“It seems, once again, that Leifer’s interests have been placed well ahead of her alleged victims,” he said in an email to AAP.
A spokesman for federal Attorney-General Christian Porter told AAP on Wednesday night: “These are matters for the local courts.”
Originally published at Herald Sun.
Ms Erlich said Leifer’s lawyer, Yehuda Fried, brought in Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman who said he would take care of the former educator.
“The rabbi who is guaranteeing he will take care of her, he has said in court that it is humiliating for her to be held under custody,” she said.
“We now understand that the prosecutors are going to appeal this decision but at the moment the judge’s standing rules that she will be let out on bail.
“If this bail is upheld and the prosecutor loses the appeal on this, there are absolutely no restrictions on her movements. She is free to do whatever she pleases.
“So basically we are back to square one.”
Ms Erlich said the greatest fear was that Leifer would continue to evade justice.
“We are close to losing hope, we will never give up,” she said.
The 54-year-old former principal has been in custody since February 12 after Israeli police rearrested her, accusing her of faking mental illness to avoid extradition to Australia.
Jewish community leader Manny Waks, an advocate for Kol v’Oz, a Jewish organisation combating child sex abuse, said it was “outrageous” that Leifer had been allowed to “continue her charade”.
“It seems, once again, that Leifer’s interests have been placed well ahead of her alleged victims,” he said in an email to AAP.
A spokesman for federal Attorney-General Christian Porter told AAP on Wednesday night: “These are matters for the local courts.”
Originally published at Herald Sun.