Jerusalem light rail stone-throwers to be sued for damages
In addition to criminal indictments, State Attorney will seek a heavy fine of NIS 40,000 from vandals over 18 for broken windows; 'There's no reason for the Israeli taxpayer to cover these damages.'
The State Attorney's civil unit is soon expected to present two precedential tort claims against Arabs who hurled stones at the Jerusalem light rail, causing damage to its windows, Ynet has learned.
In both claims, the state will demand the court to order the immediate payment of NIS 40,000 for each window broken - the amount that property tax pays Citypass, who built the light rail, as compensation for the replacement of a train window.
This move is part of a wide-scale initiative to file a series of civil damage suits, that will require perpetrators throwing stones, Molotov cocktails and fireworks to pay for the damage that they have caused in addition to civil lawsuits.
Pressure to move ahead with the intitiative came from Jerusalem police. In talks with government officials and other relevant parties, police commanders argued that the deterrence created by hurting one's pocket is crucial and is a significant addition to the deterrence created by the criminal proceeding.
The claims will be filed only against stone-throwers over the age of 18. The first two claims will be filed against stone-throwers who were already convicted, but, in the future, it is quite possible that financial claims will be issued simultaneously with the criminal proceedings.
In recent days, the property tax compensation fund and CityPass completed negotiations to allow the state to officially submit claims for damages to vehicles owned by CityPass.
For example, property tax pays NIS 40,000 to replace a standard window and NIS 120,000 to replace a large window of the train's locomotive.
