Soldier suspected of arson sent to house arrest
Shai Degani, suspected of setting eight fires in Holon Thursday night to remain under house arrest pending conclusion of police investigation
Shai Degani, the IDF soldier arrested in connection to a string of arson cases which plagued Holon last week, was remanded to house arrest pending the conclusion of the investigation against him, the Petah Tikva District Court ruled Friday afternoon.
Police arrested the 20-year-old solider from Holon on Friday morning, following eight fires which took place Thursday nights in one of the city's neighborhoods. Dozens of residents were evacuated, but luckily none were hurt.
Judge Achikam Stoler saw fit to overturn the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court's decision to remand Degani to police custody, ordering house arrest instead.
Attorney Uri Keinan, for Degani, welcomed the decision, saying the police erred in arresting his client: "I hope the police conclude this investigation rapidly. They have no evidence except for this prank."
The police however, claimed that Degani's offences were extremely serious and in fact made him dangerous. The solider, added the police representative, also gave his commander several details about the fires, which he could not have gotten from reading media reports – as he claimed in his investigation – since they were never released.
Judge Stoler, however, was not convinced, and said that, "With respect, it is not the court's job to tell the police how to conduct their investigations… After reviewing the investigation notes I see no reason to remand Degani to police custody."
The court ordered Degani to house arrest at his brother's home in Holon. He was also ordered to pay a NIS 10,000 bail and was forbidden from contacting his commanding officer.
