Peeping pilot blames pullout
Pilot who peeped into women's showers says he did it to alleviate pullout pains
The IDF is now mulling whether to remove the pilot from the army.
The officer, a first lieutenant and a Tzofit aircraft pilot by training, serves at an army base in the heart of Israel. He was recently caught peeping - on two separate occasions - into the women's showers while female soldiers were taking a shower.
On at least one of the occasions the officer was wearing his flight overalls and a name badge.
Sources familiar with the odd affair told Ynet that several weeks ago, female soldiers at the base reported suspicions that someone was peeping at them while they were showering. The report was relayed to senior officials, who instructed an officer to look into the complaints.
Shortly thereafter, the pilot was caught in the act and immediately confessed to the allegations.
However, the pilot surprised army officials by claiming that the rough mental experiences he underwent during the pullout from Gaza left him with heavy emotional baggage, and that he needed psychological treatment in order to deal with his problems after the evacuation was completed.
The officer explained that peeking into the showers helped him to "alleviate the pains” of disengagement.
The pilot's commanders were not overly impressed with the original line of defense and decided to ground the officer for the time being.
The Military Prosecutor's Office has ordered to the pilot be subjected to a disciplinary trial, in which he was convicted on two counts of indecent behavior.
The IDF's Spokesperson Office confirmed the story and added that "the officer's reinstatement into the army is currently being considered."
Notably, this is not the first peeing incident discovered in the army recently. Several months ago, two soldiers serving in an army base in the Gush Etzion area were accused of having filmed their female commander and other female soldiers while they were showering. They also edited clips and screened them.
In March 2004, three troops were caught at the Zrifin base south of Tel Aviv after they videotaping female soldiers undressing in their rooms.
