According to the verdict, after marrying the complainant’s mother, the defendant began to commit sexual acts against her for a period of about a year, when she was about 15 years old. The acts were committed on numerous occasions, both inside and outside the family home.
The court convicted the defendant of 11 counts of intercourse with a minor family member, multiple counts of sodomy with a minor family member, and multiple counts of indecent acts with a minor family member. The defendant was acquitted of the charges attributed to him regarding another stepdaughter.
As part of the sentencing arguments, the Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office, represented by Adv. Yifat Pinchasi Nevo, argued that these were numerous acts that continued for about a year, exploiting severe family distress and a complex situation the family found itself in. The prosecution emphasized that the defendant gained the complainant’s trust and exploited it to satisfy his sexual needs, causing severe harm to her, her mother, and the entire family.
It was also noted that the acts were carried out in a planned and sophisticated manner, including strengthening the relationship with the complainant and gradually escalating the acts, and that the defendant even documented some of the sexual acts without her knowledge.
The prosecution highlighted the significant age gap between the defendant and the complainant, the fact that the defendant did not take responsibility for his actions, did not express remorse, and did not ask for the complainant’s forgiveness, and the trend of increasing punishment for sex offenses within the family. In light of the severity of the acts, the prosecution requested that the defendant be sentenced to 16 years in prison, a suspended sentence, and compensation to the complainant, as well as an order for the destruction of the phone on which some of the acts were recorded.
The Jerusalem District Court, as stated, sentenced the defendant to 12 years in prison, a suspended sentence, and compensation to the complainant. In its sentencing, the court noted that “the defendant entered the family as someone who sought to improve its situation, showered the complainant with love, who even called him ‘father’, but in practice exploited the situation and acted manipulatively to bring the complainant to satisfy his needs.”
The prosecution emphasizes that sex offenses within the family are among the most severe offenses, as they involve the exploitation of trust and severely harm minors. The verdict reflects the recognition of the severe harm caused to the complainant and the duty of the justice system to protect minors within the home.
Adv. Rivka Zilberfarb, representing the victim on behalf of Legal Aid at the Ministry of Justice: “The minor victim acted with great courage when she chose to expose the ongoing abuse while still in her mother’s womb and testify about it in court. This, despite her young age and the great difficulty of exposing abuse that occurs within the family. It is hoped that the significant sentence given to the perpetrator will now allow the victim to focus on her recovery.”
