Sela and his lengthy petition
Photo: Niv Calderon
Serial rapist becomes serial complainant
Benny Sela, who escaped and was recaptured in late 2006, petitions Tel Aviv court about mistreatment, citing lack of newspapers, shampoo
Serial rapist Benny Sela, who had the whole nation in frenzy when he escaped his guards in Tel Aviv last November, doesn't appear to have changed his tune. Like before his escape and recapture, Sela seems poised to remain serial – at being a complainant.
Illegal Use of Force
Four officers who took ‘souvenir photos’ posing with serial rapist Benny Sela after he was recaptured in Nahariya to be charged with illegal use of force, unbecoming behavior
Sela has a long history of submitting court petitions complaining of alleged mistreatment in prison. These petitions give him the opportunity to get out of jail to attend court hearings and it was one such repeat visit to the courthouse that afforded him the opportunity to escape.
It appears the prisoner intends to continue his glorious tradition: Last week, Sela submitted a number of complaints against his guards, whom he claims have it out for him and are abusing him in a multitude of ways.
For example, in addition to the repeated claims that he's being beaten, Sela also complained that he is not given access to a newspaper – not only is he not given a daily paper, he is also not given old newspapers, which have been discarded by other prisoners.
The serial rapist claimed that he is treated badly relative to other prisoners, because he doesn't have money to buy a subscription to the newspaper.
Sela further claimed that the prison guards refused to take an appeal that he addressed to the Supreme Court citing his alleged physical abuse by them. He said that one of the guards threw the petition back to him, displaying "demonstrable contempt".
The prisoner noted the difficulty he has receiving a haircut. "Do I need to look like Robinson Crusoe and have too much hair for my limited amount of shampoo and a beard down to the floor before I'm allowed to get a haircut and shave?
"Why does this difficulty (in getting a haircut) persist? The court is asked to put a stop to it," Sela requested.
'Am I to stay naked?'
He also demanded from the court to locate his missing blue wool blanket, with pictures of dolphins on it. Since its disappearance, Sela stated, he has been forced to use a moldy blanket, which leaves him cold and makes him itch.
Because he is cold, the prisoner also requested to be allowed to wear his long underwear.
He also complained that he does not have a spare set of clothes, meaning that he has no clothes whenever he sends his original set to be laundered. "Am I to stay naked?" asked Sela, implying that he has been forced to remain nude on purpose.
Sela also requested to extend his daily phone time to more than the 15 minutes currently allotted to him per day; he claimed that 15 minutes was insufficient in order to confer with his attorney or to find new ones.
A discussion about Sela's claims is set to take place soon in the jail. Additionally, the serial offender is expected to be indicted soon for his prison-break.
