After clash with complainant: Rishon LeZion deputy mayor suspected of sex offenses released to house arrest
The deputy mayor of Rishon LeZion, suspected of sex offenses against a municipal employee, was released to house arrest after five additional days in custody. The police, which previously sought to extend his detention, are expected to agree to release under restrictive conditions. The suspect denies the allegations and claims the complaint is part of a revenge campaign by municipal workers.
The deputy mayor of Rishon LeZion, suspected of committing sex offenses against a municipal employee, was released today (Monday) to house arrest, five days after the city's Magistrate's Court extended his detention. The police, which in the previous hearing sought to extend his detention by eight days, are now expected to request his release under restrictive conditions. The suspect continues to deny the allegations and claims that the complaint against him is part of a revenge campaign by municipal workers. In a hearing held on Thursday, the court extended his detention by five days, until today. Judge Israel Pat then ruled that there is a ground for detention due to dangerousness and a real concern of interfering with the investigation. The police argued in the hearing that the investigation began following a complaint filed by a municipal employee on August 2, and that two separate incidents in which sex offenses were allegedly committed are being examined. The suspect is attributed with offenses of penetration of a woman without free consent, indecent act without free consent, and penetration of a woman over 18 while exploiting authority in employment relations. The police said in the previous hearing that at this stage there is one complainant, but investigators continued to check if there are additional victims. The suspect's defense attorney, Adv. Nir Zano, opposed the police request for seven days of house arrest. "The police understand that there are claims and on the other hand there is a person fighting for his innocence. Seven days of house arrest is not proportionate and not necessary," he argued. Regarding the request to distance him from the municipality, he added: "This is a life's work, a person who has worked there for a long time. There is no danger to anyone." The defense attorney also referred to the police claim that the possibility of additional victims is being examined. According to him, one of the incidents attributed to the suspect occurred about five years ago, and during the time that passed, the suspect and the complainant continued to work together. "There is no claim of attempted obstruction. Within the proportionality of the harm, which was already done, one must balance," he said. In contrast, the deputy mayor rejects the suspicions against him and claims it is revenge by workers following steps he took in his role. According to him, for about a year and a half he acted against workers who, he said, reported presence at work even though they did not show up, and even promoted a transition to fingerprint attendance. The suspect claimed that following these moves he began to suffer threats and harassment, and that even before the complaint was filed against him, he himself approached the police and complained about threats and defamatory messages distributed against him in WhatsApp groups of municipal workers. His attorneys already requested in the previous hearing to release him to house arrest and argued that the investigation should continue while he is under an alternative detention arrangement. During the previous hearing, the police argued on the other hand that the investigation is in its early stages and that there are additional investigative actions to be carried out. It was also reported then that the suspect provided a version to investigators but refused to provide the access code to his mobile phone, which the police claim may help in examining his version. Now, after five additional days in custody and continued investigative actions, the police are expected to agree to his release to house arrest under restrictive conditions.