Shift manager during Benny Sela’s escape to stand trial
Sgt.-Maj. Yosef Yaakov was recommended to stand trial after small-time thief escaped under his nose while being escorted to court four months ago. Recommendation failed to go into effect – and four months later Benny Sela pulls off another escape on his shift
Major Yosef Yaakov, shift manager of the police’s prisoner escort unit at the time of convicted serial rapist Benny Sela’s escape last month, will stand a disciplinary hearing, it was decided.
Sela's escape led to the biggest police manhunt in Israeli history, until the convicted rapist was caught in the north one week later.
Police Inspector General made the decision Thursday. Ynet has learned that already five months ago, it was recommended that Yaakov stand trial after another detainee escaped during his shift.
As the escaped prisoner in that case was less known to the public, the recommendation to try the officer was less pressing and never went into effect.
In the earlier incident, which also occurred outside of the Tel Aviv district court, the escaped convict had been arrested for property crimes. His police escorts at first did not even know where he managed to escape from, believing he fled from the same court detention yard that Sela escaped from.
However, the following probe revealed an even more serious failure: The prisoner managed to access the switch that unbolts the detention cells beneath the court, walked through the detention hall and straight out into the street.
Recommendation: Disciplinary action
The investigating officer appointed to probe the incident, deputy commander of the Tel Aviv District police Brigadier-General Danny Chen, recommended that Sgt.-Maj. Yaakov be tried for his failures in the incident.
One month later, the findings and recommendations of the probe were transferred to the adjutant general disciplinary branch of the national police headquarters. However, nothing was ever done in the matter.
After the Benny Sela escape, however, Yaakov will stand disciplinary trial. He will be transferred from his post and will be barred from holding a police command position in the future.
Later, if the adjutant general disciplinary branch thus decides, Yaakov may stand trial for the first escape incident as well.
