The Central District Court in Lod sentenced Roan Abd al-Hay, a daycare assistant at Sigal's Kindergarten in Hod Hasharon, to 10 years in prison Sunday after she was convicted of 277 violent offenses against eight toddlers aged eight months to a year and a half. The court also ordered her to pay 450,000 shekels in compensation to the children's parents, to be divided according to the harm suffered by each child, and imposed suspended prison sentences.
Abd al-Hay was convicted in April of abusing children under her care between May and July 2023. The convictions included nine counts of abusing a helpless minor, 146 counts of assault causing bodily harm to a helpless minor and 122 counts of aggravated assault.
Roan Abd al-Hay
(Photo: Maya Cohen)
Among the incidents detailed in the verdict, Abd al-Hay kicked a toddler lying on a mattress, struck him forcefully on the head and back, covered his head with a blanket and pressed him against the mattress before hitting him again. In another incident, she violently shook a toddler and later threw her onto another child, turning away as both cried.
The court also convicted her of psychological abuse of the toddlers in her care, citing their prolonged exposure to violence and their inability to defend themselves.
During sentencing hearings, parents described the lasting consequences of the abuse. One mother told Judge Michal Barak-Nevo that everyday situations, including medical appointments and collecting her children from daycare, continued to trigger anxiety. She said she suffered from post-traumatic stress and that the ordeal had affected her ability to work and care for her family.
"Today you no longer enter my home, but you still enter my nightmares," she told Abd al-Hay.
Another mother said her son continued to suffer from nightmares, hoarded food and displayed fears associated with bathing and hot water, nearly three years after the abuse.
"Many professionals told us, as soon as we began treatment, that he wouldn't remember, but his body would remember. His body remembers," she testified.
Prosecutors had sought a 14-year prison sentence, arguing that Abd al-Hay had not accepted responsibility or undergone meaningful treatment. Her defense attorney disputed that claim, citing her young age, lack of a criminal record and prospects for rehabilitation. Abd al-Hay herself previously expressed remorse, telling the court: "I'm very sorry, and I know that saying sorry cannot erase the trauma, what they went through."
In her sentencing remarks, Judge Barak-Nevo addressed parents who had expressed guilt over failing to recognize the abuse. "You could not have known," she wrote, noting that Abd al-Hay had made an excellent impression on them and that they had checked the daycare and received positive recommendations.
"Do not blame yourselves," the judge told the parents. "There is no reason to."