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Photo: Avihu Shapira
Maor Ben Harush
Photo: Avihu Shapira

Four years in prison for running over Israeli sailing champion

Nir Gafurov ran over Maor Ben Harush, who argued with his brother, leaving him with shattered legs; Gafurov, who was 16 at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and a hit-and-run.

Nir Gafurov, convicted of hitting Israel's sailing champion Maor Ben Harush with his car after the latter had argued with his brother, was sentenced on Wednesday to four years in prison.

 

 

The defendant pleaded guilty to the charges after most of the witnesses had testified. He was charged with aggravated assault and a hit-and-run after intentionally running over Ben Harush, now 18, and another person, who were riding electric bikes. The defendant, who was partially under house arrest during the trial, will begin serving his sentence in another month and a half.

 

In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Esperanza Alon sentenced him to a suspended sentence of three years from the date of his release and ordered him to pay NIS 20,000 in damages to each of the two victims. The judge noted that the sentence must be between three and five years in prison. "We need to put words into action to stress the severity of the act."

 

(L-R) Nir Gafurov, Ben Harush after the incident (Photo: Ido Erez)
(L-R) Nir Gafurov, Ben Harush after the incident (Photo: Ido Erez)

 

In his sentencing, the judge stated that "in his actions, the defendant used his vehicle with deliberate intention as a 'weapon' in order to run over two young 17-year-olds who wanted to spend time with their peers and steer clear of trouble. The hit-and-run offense is a very serious felony indicative of blatant disregard to human life and the defendant's level of threat."

 

The judge took note of the defendant's young age, his mother's health, and a rehabilitation procedure that he had already begun. However, she noted: "I found that the severity of the actions greatly outweigh the mitigating factors."

 

Maor Ben Harush (Photo: Avihu Shapira)
Maor Ben Harush (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

  

At the time of the incident, Ben Harush, who was considered Israel's Olympic hope for the Games in 2020, had been arguing with another young man while sitting with a friend. The young man alerted his brother, who noticed Ben Harush riding with his friend on their electric bicycles, sped up, and ran over them both. He then fled the scene, leaving Ben Harush with shattered legs.

 

Udi Ben Harush, Maor's father, wanted to thank the judge. "We hoped for this outcome, despite being familiar with today's situation—on the one hand, rampant behavior on the roads and on the other, the leniency of the courts—we had no expectations," he said. "We are pleasantly surprised."

 

He added that the family members did not follow the trial, except in the plea stage. "We are not there, we are looking forward with a large team, supporting Maor. He is returning to the sea, slowly but surely— which is very conducive to morale and continuing to make progress."

 

Attorney Yaron Shomron, who represented Gafurov, said that the sentence is a harsh one, and that it does not take into account the defendant's rehabilitation process. He postulated that after reviewing the sentence, he would appeal it.

 

After the accident, it was feared that Ben Harush's sporting career as a sailor had ended. The doctors initially estimated that the healing and rehabilitation process would take years, but with the help of a medical and rehabilitation team and with the support of his sponsor, Raya Strauss Dror, he recovered and even returned to the sea.

 


פרסום ראשון: 04.26.17, 15:40
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