Accused child-sex abuser Malka Leifer freed from jail on house arrest
Former Melbourne school principal Malka Leifer has been placed on house arrest after a Rabbi's testimony.
Photo: APJerusalem: An Israeli court has ordered the former principal of an ultra-Orthodox school in Australia wanted on child sexual abuse charges to be freed from detention on house arrest, after the defence brought in a chief rabbi to vouch for her.
Malka Leifer is set to be released on bail set to be released March 9 at 10am, pending an appeal by the prosecutor.
She would be monitored by two supervisors in the northern Israeli town of Migal HaEmek under the custody of the town’s chief rabbi, Rabbi Yitzhak Grossman, who was brought in as a character witness by her defence lawyer.
Rabbi Grossman, the recipient of Israel’s highest cultural honour, the 2004 Israel Prize, argued to the court for the accused former principal of Elsternwick's Adass Israel school to be freed.
“It would be a humiliation for Ms Leifer to remain in custody,” he said, promising that if she leaves the house “for even a second, we will take her straight to the police immediately” as a matter of his personal responsibility
He also argued that that it would be bad for her mental state to stay in jail.
One of Ms Leifers' former students and alleged victim, Dassi Erlich, slammed the ruling as 'an outrageous travesty of justice'.
''An official sign-off on the psychiatrists report was requested three times by the court. The report remains unsigned. What is the reason for this absolute failure of procedure?'' Ms Dassi said in a media statement.
Ms Dassi also said the unrestricted nature of Ms Leifer's release was ''appalling and takes away our hope and trust in a justice system meant to protect the vulnerable''.
Victims in court also responded with shock to the decision.
The remand hearing at the Jerusalem District Court was delayed by almost an hour after the defence lawyer requested proceedings wait until the arrival of his suprise witnesses. The Rabbi’s dramatic late arrival caused a stir in court. One of the supervisors entrusted with monitoring Ms Leifer told journalists after the hearing that he was there at the deference of Rabbi Grossman.
Ms. Leifer’s brother and sister posted bail of $A37,000 to see their sibling freed from custody.
Israel’s state prosecution, led by Matan Akiva, intends to appeal to the Supreme Court to keep her in custody.
The ruling comes after Ms Leifer was rearrested in February following an undercover Israeli police investigation. Police have accused Ms. Leifer of “obstruction of justice” by giving false defense and feigning mental illness in order to avoid facing 74 charges of sexual abuse in Australia.
The prosecution said the chief physiatrist had already determined that the accused was fit to stand trial - the first time such a claim had been made since allegations were first raised in 2008, when Ms Leifer fled Australia.
But the judge granted the defence more time to review new evidence, including the in-depth psychiatric report that had still not been signed by the district physiatrist.
“We can’t continue this trial if the defence has not been presented with all the evidence that will be used in court against her – there’s no such law like this in this country,” said Yehuda Fried, Ms Leifer’s defense lawyer.
The next criminal hearing, the leading case against Ms Leifer, will be held on March 28.
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