Indictment filed against Nazareth acid attacker
Information released in case reveals relatives of 16-year-old Nazareth girl allegedly raped her for months, attacked her after rejected marriage proposal. Doctors fighting to save victim's sight
As a result of the assault, the young girl sustained injuries to her eyes and throat. She was hospitalized in serious condition at the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa and the doctors are still fighting to save her sight.
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The two attackers, ages 51 and 17 are the young woman's relatives. The full indictment, which will be filed with the Nazareth District Court by Attorney Liora Hilu, from the Northern District Prosecutor's Office, has been placed under gag order in order to prevent any additional harm to the girl's privacy. The two are accused of multiple acts of rape and aggravated assault.
A summary of the released information on the indictment reveals that the two accused sexually assaulted the 16-year-old girl for months. In addition, the elder of the two men, who is married with children, asked to wed the girl, but the family refused him.
"Close to the month of February 2013, the accused was made aware of the complainant's intention to become engaged to someone else," the prosecutor described. "The accused understood that her engagement was likely to distance her from him, and thus, he would not be able to continue to rape her."
The victim in the hospital (Photo: Elad Gershgoren)
The indictment also reveals that last February 18th, at around 11:30 PM, the accused knocked on the girl's bedroom window. "When the complainant opened her window, the accused spilled hydrochloric acid on her head and face and fled."
Simultaneous to the filing of the indictment, the prosecutor's office filed a request for remand until the completion of proceedings. Ynet was informed that the main evidence in the case is the girl's testimony. "The acts of the accused reveal his immense brutality, as he will not stop at anything to attain his desires and as he does not value human life," as stated in the request.
Meanwhile, the girl's mother told Ynet: "My daughter was not raped, I don't know where these stories came from. My daughter spoke to me and told me that she did not say she was raped."
According to the mother, her daughter was tired and dazed while being examined. "She didn't understand what the investigators said to her. The issue of rape will cause us great harm, especially to my daughters.
"The police should wait until my daughter is released from the hospital and from this emotional crisis caused to her and then they will be able to speak to her freely and confirm every word she says, but to come and speak about rape is unacceptable to us."
Hassan Shaalan contributed to this report
