_a.jpg "צילום: רועי עידן")
The defendant
צילום: רועי עידן
Mother who sexually abused sons gets 8 years in prison
Beersheba District Court finds 40-year-old woman guilty of sexually abusing two of her eight children; says 'acts were grave and enough to leave a permanent scar on a child's psyche'
The Beersheba District Court sentenced a 40-year-old woman from Netivot to eight years in jail and one year's probation, after finding her guilty of sexually abusing two of her eight sons, aged eight and 11.
According to the indictment, all of the woman's children attended boarding school, but would come home on weekends. It was during one of those weekends that she forced intercourse on the two boys, further ordering them not to tell their father.
"I didn’t think about whether it was right or wrong – it just happened… it wasn’t forced. It was consensual," she told the court.
The mother further told the court that she was seeking revenge against her ex-husband, adding both boys were "active in initiating sexual acts."
All eight children were removed from the home by a court order, as social services found the mother neglectful and unfit.
Following the woman's arrest the court ordered she undergo psychiatric evaluation. She was found borderline retarded, but nevertheless, the evaluation stated she could tell right from wrong.
The three-judge panel ruled that regardless of the woman mental condition, her acts were grave "and enough to leave a permanent scar on a child's psyche."
