IDF troops suspected of abusing comrade
Two soldiers from base in south accused of depriving comrade of sleep, demanding money
For three weeks, two soldiers serving in an IDF logistics base abused a fellow soldier in their unit. They beat him, locked him in a disused tank, threatened him with a knife, and even forced him to withdraw cash from an ATM so that they could buy food and alcoholic beverages.
"They said that if I told anyone, they'll beat me even harder," the soldier related to investigating military police. The military court ruled that the two suspects would be detained until the end of the month. Their sentence is due to begin within the next few days.
The military police has just completed investigating the affair, and an indictment has been served against the two soldiers for abuse and extortion. According to material gathered during the investigation, the abuse began towards the end of November when the two soldiers, both privates, sought excuses to beat their comrade.
In one case, when he refused to give them the key to his room, they twisted his arm behind his back. In another case, they prevented him from sleeping, forced him to compete on a PlayStation and when he lost, beat him. On another occasion they put a switchblade to his legs and one of the accused made movements as if to stab him.
Last month the suspects ordered the soldier to leave the base and withdraw cash for them. The soldier, who was afraid, withdrew NIS 100 (about $25) and gave it to them. They then bought food and alcohol.
One of the two used their victim's telephone a number of times, running up a bill estimated at NIS 250 (about $66). This led to him owing money to the telephone company which then disconnected his line.
They also put him inside a disused tank and when he tried to get out, they pushed him back inside with their feet.
'He has social problems'
Due to the severity of the case, the military prosecutor requested that the suspects' detention be extended until the end of the court proceedings. The soldiers denied part of the accusations and explained that the rest was done in jest and not with intent to harm. "It was just a bit of fun between friends," one of them said during the investigation.
The defense, Att. Lieutenant Sebastian Osotovsky and Att. Dan Bauman, claimed that the complainant's account was full of inconsistencies, that he has a weak character and social difficulties, and that therefore there was no reason to keep them in detention. Bauman added that the two soldiers had been friendly with the complainant for a number of weeks. "During this time, there were a number of mutual pranks, all done in good spirit," he said.
Police officer Lieutenant-Colonel Noa Zomer said she had enough material on file to put the two behind bars, and that she was convinced that this was a case of abuse. She noted that even if the soldier did indeed have a "weak character", taking advantage of this was not to their credit. She determined that due to the serious violation of military discipline, there was no reason to release them from detention.
Zomer added that in a recording taken at the military jail, the two soldiers are hearing planning to beat their victim upon their release.
