Dr. Benny Schechter was convicted of three counts of indecent act but was raped • One of the complainants burst into tears in the courtroom and said that she was unable to sit with him in the same courtroom
Dr. Schechter in court // Photo: Coco
The panel of judges of the Tel Aviv District Court, headed by Judge Tali Haimovich, acquitted Dr. Bnei Schechter, a gynecologist from the Sharon region, of fraudulent rape and convicted of indecent assault.
Before the verdict was read, one of the complainants entered the courtroom and when she saw Dr. Schechter in front of her, she burst into tears and said that she could not sit in the same courtroom, but was eventually supported by her associates and she remained in the courtroom.
About four years ago, an indictment was filed by the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office against Dr. Schechter in the city district court, in which the senior doctor was accused of committing the offenses on three women who came to receive treatment from him after complaining of pain during intercourse. The indictment alleges that Schechter cheated on the women and claimed that these were procedures and medical treatments required for their examination.After the women gave him their consent he committed the offenses attributed to him when in two cases, it was alleged, he used a vibrating device designed to rate the patient's level of enjoyment. With the complainants against him in the Yarkon area police, the indictment attributed to him the rape of two patients - aged 20 and 33, as well as an indecent act on a 32-year-old woman.
Judge Gershon Gotovnik said at the sentencing: "Treatment also has limits. The value of human dignity does not remain outside the medical clinic. The permit to treat women does not include a permit to harm their dignity and perform actions that do not amount to treatment. "It was proved that the defendant was not satisfied with these tests. He placed a vibrating device on their genitals and asked to indicate the feeling of sexual arousal. We found their testimony to be reliable. And the result is clear. These actions are not part of legitimate treatment. It violates patients' autonomy." .
Dr. Schechter who worked at the hospital and private clinics in Sharon and is considered a sought-after doctor in his field and even after the indictment the Ministry of Health allowed him to continue working in his profession and the court accepted the agreements reached between the plaintiff and his defense attorneys to allow Schechter to return to work as a gynecologist. In a physical examination of women only in the presence of another medical staff member, it was also decided that each day the patients would be signed a document stating that they were aware of the charges against Schechter and agreed to be treated by him as a gynecologist.
After the indictment was filed, his lawyers said there was no defect in our client's actions.
This is a doctor who has dedicated his life to thousands of patients and provided them with professional and dedicated care for years.