Teacher admits to sex offences against female student

As part of plea bargain, teacher confesses to indecent acts, attempted sexual assault of seventh grade female student. Father: My daughter's life is ruined

Raanan Ben-Zur|Published: 04.14.13 , 14:02

The Haifa Magistrates' Court approved on Sunday a plea bargain in the case of a teacher from north Israel who confessed and was convicted of committing indecent acts against a female student and attempting to sexually assault her. The prosecution intends to demand a prison sentence for the teacher.

According to the original indictment, filed in February 2012, the teenage student told her relatives the teacher had committed sex offences against her for a number of years. The relatives convinced the student to file a police complaint, after which the teacher was arrested. However, she was released shortly thereafter and continued working as a teacher.

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Following Sunday's hearing, the student's father said, "Not only did she destroy the girl, she destroyed me as well. I want to see her in jail. We've gone through a very difficult time, with psychological and mental problems. I will continue to fight until she is in prison. I'll take the case to the Supreme Court if I have to."

'Who could imagine?' Teacher in court (Photo: Avishag Shaar-Yashuv)

Addressing the teacher's claim that the sexual acts were consensual, the father said, "What does 'consensual' mean to a student in the seventh grade?"

The father said he urged his daughter to join the army "so she'd have a stable environment and be able pass the time, as well as serve the country."

Attorney Tami Olman, who is representing the student's family, said "No one believed the father. Who could imagine that a teacher would do such terrible things to a student in the seventh grade?"

The teacher's attorney, Ronen Haliva, said "we must keep in mind that there is no connection between what was claimed at the beginning of the affair – with regards to the severity of the offences – and what was written in the amended indictment which was filed to the court. There were no sexual relations here, only indecent acts.

"The teacher has no criminal record and leads a normal life, apart from this case. She's been through hell. She doesn't work and suffered greatly from the affair. Her life was ruined too," he said.

The attorney said his client was no longer the student's homeroom teacher when the acts took place.