The 16-year-old will testify in the Be'er Sheva District Court about what happened at the Red Sea Hotel • The defendants will watch her testimony via a video conference screen
About three months after the indictment was filed, today (Tuesday) the dramatic moment in the rape trial of the girl at the Red Sea Hotel in Eilat began: she will testify about the events at the hotel, and will recreate the severe rape, what preceded it and what happened next.
This is one of the most serious cases of gang rape in the country.
Photo: Newsenders
The girl's testimony was preceded by a number of hearings between the prosecution and the defendants' defense attorneys, after all the defendants asked to be present in the courtroom while she testified.
However, the prosecution strongly objected to the request, and submitted a request to the court to ban their presence during the testimony, for fear that their presence in front of the girl during her testimony would cause her concerns or delays in giving her testimony.
The court partially granted the request, ruling that the girl would testify her testimony, which would likely continue in a number of hearings, inside the main courtroom, while the defendants would watch her testimony through a video conference screen.
That way, the girl, during her testimony, will not see them.
At the end of two weeks of intensive investigation, the Southern District Attorney's Office filed an indictment in the Be'er Sheva District Court in early September against 11 defendants, including 3 adults and 8 minors, each charged with aggravated rape, aggravated rape. Indecent acts, failure to prevent crime, invasion of privacy and more.
Most of the evidence against the defendants is based on videos seized from the defendants, forensic evidence, mainly the defendants 'DNA, hotel security videos, and the defendants' confessions.
According to the facts of the indictment, the main defendants Ilizir Meirov (27) and Issi Rafailov (28) from Hadera, and the defendants 7-6, 17-year-old twin brothers from Moshav Belchish, committed aggravated rape offenses against the minor in the hotel, without her free consent, taking advantage of the situation. Which prevents her from giving free consent, and being in a gang.
The other defendants, Osher Shlomo (19) from the locality of Noga, and 6 other minors, committed, according to their share, offenses of aiding rape and indecent acts, in that some were present during the rape and actually assisted him in their presence, laughing and watching what was happening. Allowed and facilitated the commission of the rape, as well as others who watched the minor lying naked on the bed for the purpose of sexual stimulation, gratification or humiliation, and without doing anything to stop the rape that took place in the room.
The indictment states that "the defendants treated the complainant as an object, as a tool to satisfy their passions, and none of the defendants tried to stop what was happening and provide the minor with any assistance.
The indictment attributes to the defendants the following offenses: Ilizir Meirov - rape in aggravated circumstances.
Issy Rafailov - aggravated rape, aiding and abetting aggravated rape, numerous indecent offenses and invasion of privacy under the Privacy Protection Act.
Defendants 6 and 7 (the twins) - rape in aggravated circumstances.
Defendant 3 - Assistance in rape in aggravated circumstances and non-prevention of crime.
Defendants 5-4 - Assistance in rape in aggravated circumstances.
Defendant 9 (complete happiness) - indecent acts and failure to prevent a crime.
Defendants 8 and 10 - indecent acts.
Defendant 11 - Indecent solicitation.
Due to the fact that this is a very long and sensitive testimony, and due to the mental state of the 16-year-old, the girl went to several meetings with the prosecutor who will represent the prosecution, to go over the testimony and refresh her memory, especially in the difficult testimonies. Police, a rare step in criminal cases of this kind.
Meanwhile, Advocate Shani Deri, representing a number of minor defendants, asked the court to dismiss the testimony, for fear that she was infected in Corona and therefore could not go to court. The court denied the request and ruled that the girl's testimony be given as planned, even in her absence.