No remorse. The accused (archives)
Photo: Gil Yohanan
State appeals sentence of 'Taliban mother'
Prosecution asks Supreme Court to aggravate original four-year sentence given to Beit Shemesh woman convicted of severe child abuse
The State Prosecutor's Office appealed the sentence given to the Beit Shemesh woman convicted of severely abusing six of her 12 children.
Sunday's appeal, filed with the Supreme Court, argued that the sentence – four years in prison – was too lenient.
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The State further claimed that the sentence did not reflect the severity of the acts, not did it serve to compensate for the psychological damaged caused to the abused children.
"This mother systematically abused her children, mentally and physically, for years… they were beaten with fists, sticks and electrical cables, and locked outside their home for hours on end," said the appeal.
The Jerusalem District Court, said the State, erred by failing to consider the fact that the woman never expressed remorse for her actions, nor did she accept responsibility, "a fact which in the State's opinion negates any chance of real rehabilitation."
The defense chose to put seven of the children – all minors – on the stand, added the prosecution "and describing the anguish they must have felt while faced with the difficult situation police forces having to testify against their parents is surely redundant," continued the appeal.
"This woman cannot be afforded the same leniency reserved for defendants who claim responsibility for their actions and save their children similar anguish."
The appeal further argued that the District Court did not give the psychiatric evaluation, which determined the woman's beliefs were unshakable, due consideration when factoring her chances of rehabilitation; adding that the woman must be kept away from the children in order to allow for their proper rehabilitation.
