Pearlman. Over a week with no meeting
Photo courtesy of Channel 2 News
Sitbon. Played small part
Photo: Meir Haltovsky, Shturem
Nahari. Representing Pearlman
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Court permits Jewish terror suspect to meet lawyer
Haim Pearlman, accomplice David Sitbon permitted to meet lawyers for first time since their arrest
Haim Pearlman and David Sitbon will be permitted to meet their lawyers Friday morning, Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy ruled Thursday.
This will be their first meeting with their lawyers since their arrest more than a week ago on suspicions of murder and being an accomplice to murder.
Levy said that Pearlman's prolonged remand and separation from the outside world had reached the stage where considerations of the investigation must give way to considerations of the detainee's right to meet his lawyer.
Road Rage
Right-wing activists attempt to bump into Prison Service vehicle transporting terror suspect Haim Pearlman to court
"I am convinced that preventing the meeting with the lawyers would serve no aim that cannot also be achieved after the detainees have met their defense counsel," the judge said.
Levy added that Sitbon's situation was not fundamentally different and that his relatively small part in the affair, as well as his behavior since his arrest, meant there was no reason to prevent his meeting with the lawyers.
"I welcome this important decision which has put an end to the serious violation of Sitbon's right to meet his lawyer," said attorney Ariel Atari, who represents Sitbon. "I intend to meet him soon and instruct him on how to behave during the continuation of the investigation."
At the same time, Petah Tikva Magistrates Court extended Pearlman's remand by six days. His lawyer, Sharon Nahari, said he understood from the debate that there was no new evidence against his client.
The lawyers for Pearlman, suspected of killing four Arabs in Jerusalem, and of Sitbon, suspected of assisting Pearlman, rejected earlier Levy's suggestion that they meet their clients in the court.
Boaz Fyler and Raanan Ben-Zur also contributed to this report.
