Soldier who stole weapons during war sent to jail
Elite unit soldier takes two charges, a plastic charge and a TNT charge bag weighing 2.5 kg home with him. Court sentences him to 18 months in prison
The court-martial of the GOC Army headquarters on Monday sentenced a soldier of an elite IDF unit to 18 months in prison for stealing warfare during the Second Lebanon War.
Staff Sergeant S. was initially served with an indictment that included aiding an enemy agent, but following a plea bargain reached by his defence counsel, attorney Benny Kuznits, and the military prosecutor, this paragraph was removed from the charges.
He was also indicted with taking some other munitions from his unit during 2007, including smoke grenades, some of which he used for civilian events, such as his friend's birthday.
The soldier, who immigrated to Israel at the age of 14, asked to volunteer at this elite unit and won much praise from his commanders, including during the war. "One doesn't often encounter soldiers with such motivation," his commander said of him.
When the sensitive warfare munitions were found at the soldier's home, the IDF was shocked by the affair, being that this soldier had no prior disciplinary infractions and is serving in an elite, classified unit whose name was withheld.
Attorney Kuznits managed to convince the court that his client had no intention of transferring the munitions to any criminal or terror agents. The defendant claimed that the entire equipment was taken from the IDF after cease-fire had been declared.
The military prosecutor sought to take a harder line with the soldier and serve him with a sentence of up to six years, but the court judges decided there was room to balance between the severity of the solder's infractions and his prior history, thus sentencing him for 18 months of active prison term and demoting him to the level of private.
"He is a worthy soldier, who has put his life on the line for his country. Unfortunately, he made a mistake when taking the munitions.
"However, he had no criminal intention, so the court did well in omitting the severe infractions from the plea bargain and taking his good actions into consideration when issuing the verdict."
