Indictment: Man posed as Nova survivor, forced his way into young woman's apartment and raped her

The State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against Adiel Eliyahu Michael Cohen, 22, from Petah Tikva, for rape and indecent act. According to the indictment, he met a young woman on a nighttime walk, presented himself as a Nova survivor to evoke pity, forced his way into her apartment and committed sexual offenses. The prosecution requested his detention until the end of proceedings.

The State Prosecutor's Office today (Monday) filed an indictment with the Central District Court against Adiel Eliyahu Michael Cohen, 22, from Petah Tikva, charging him with rape and indecent act. According to the indictment, Cohen met a young woman during a nighttime walk with her dog, later presented himself as a survivor of the Nova party to evoke her pity, and after she repeatedly rejected his advances, forced his way into her apartment and committed sexual offenses. The prosecution also requested to extend his detention until the end of proceedings. From the indictment, filed by attorney Tali Keret from the Central District Prosecutor's Office, it emerges that several weeks ago, the complainant went for a nighttime walk with her dog. During the walk, Cohen met her, began conversing, and offered to accompany her to a nearby garden. During the walk, he asked personal and sexual questions, held her hand, and hugged her, despite her making clear she did not want contact with him. He then unleashed the dog, took her phone, and made a call to his own phone to keep her number. Later, Cohen asked the complainant to sit with him on the grass. After she complied, he grabbed her, pulled her toward him, touched her chest, and tried to kiss her. Again, she made clear she was not interested and rejected his request to come to her apartment. After she returned home, Cohen called her again. When she made clear she did not want him to come to her apartment, he told her he was a Nova survivor. The complainant, who pitied him, agreed to come down to meet him only below the building. However, according to the indictment, Cohen had already reached her floor before she left the apartment. When she opened the door and tried to close it, he put his foot in the doorway, prevented the door from closing, and entered against her will. It is also alleged that after entering, Cohen dragged a sofa to the balcony and set up an inflatable pool to conceal what was happening from the street. He then grabbed the complainant's hips, sat her on him despite her resistance, and subsequently forced oral sex and raped her, despite her repeated resistance. According to the indictment, after the acts, Cohen apologized to the complainant and asked if she enjoyed it. In the request for detention until the end of proceedings, attorney Keret wrote that Cohen's acts were committed against a young woman he did not know previously, while repeatedly ignoring her statements that she did not want contact with him. She said the circumstances of the offenses indicate a high level of danger he poses and a real concern that he will endanger the public, especially women, if released.