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Did rabbi sexually assault bride?

Jerusalem rabbi arrested over suspected indecent acts against newlywed bride, later released into house arrest

Well-known Jerusalem Rabbi David Tovol was arrested last Sunday on suspicions that he committed indecent acts against a newlywed bride who sought his advice, Ynet has learned.

 

According to suspicions, last Sunday, a few hours before the arrest, a young newlywed couple came to the rabbi for a counseling session. During the session the rabbi asked the husband to leave the room and took advantage of the situation to sexually assault the bride.

 

The couple immediately filed a complaint against the rabbi at the local police station and police arrested him later that day. The rabbi chose to retain his right to silence and refused to cooperate with the police.

 

Sources familiar with the investigation told Ynet that the rabbi has no criminal record and no complaints had previously been filed against him.

 

A day after his arrest, the Jerusalem Magistrates Court released the rabbi into house arrest for five days under limited terms, which include a restraining order and a ban on making any contact with the complainants.

 

"After turning to me, he told me that his silence comes from the privilege he has by law as a religious minister hearing a confession," Tovol's defense lawyer Yehuda Shushan said after the hearing.

 

He noted that "after the privilege was broken by the complainant herself he agreed to cooperate with the police and told them the progression of events with the woman who is the wife of his good friend. Extremely intimate confessions were shared in the meeting, she obviously had concerns that he would leak the info, regretted her actions and decided to turn the tables on him so he would fear her. Hence, she took this despicable step of making a false complaint."

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 04.06.11, 20:36
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