Took children to shelters, threatened and pulled a knife: Indictment against a street dweller

The State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against Yigal Boskila, a 19-year-old street dweller from Jerusalem, for three incidents in which he approached minors across the country. According to the indictment, he led a 10-year-old boy to a neglected underground shelter, threatened two 17-year-old girls in Hadera, and pulled a knife on a 15-year-old boy in Beersheba. The prosecution requests that he remain in custody until the end of proceedings.

The State Prosecutor's Office today (Friday) filed an indictment with the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court against Yigal Boskila, a 19-year-old street dweller from Jerusalem, for three separate incidents in which he approached minors he did not know. According to the indictment, last August Boskila roamed various places, stayed in public shelters, and initiated conversations with passersby. In one case, he approached a 10-year-old boy in Petah Tikva, led him for hours between cities and finally to a neglected underground shelter in Bnei Brak, where he placed his head on the boy's shoulder and knees. The boy, who did not know the place and had no phone, cried and asked to leave. Boskila left him there and said they would only leave later. The boy was located by the police after midnight. In another incident in Hadera, he threatened two 17-year-old girls, told them he was dangerous and had criminal connections, and held their hands tightly. The next day, he returned to the building where one of the girls lived and whistled at an open window in her home. In a third incident, he met a 15-year-old boy at the central bus station in Beersheba, traveled with him to Arad, entered a dark shelter, and Boskila pulled out a large knife in front of him. The prosecution argues that the multiplicity of cases and the young age of the minors demonstrate danger to the public. Three additional indictments are pending against Boskila.