After he was accused of tampering with evidence at the scene of Yoel Lehengahl's murder: The police announced today (Monday) the dismissal of Officer Haim Gabay. The officer stopped working immediately after the incident when suspicions arose that he had disrupted the murder investigation in order to protect one of the boys involved.
In addition to Gabay, indictments were also filed against police officers Shai Cohen and Yitzhak Ben Shaya, after they allegedly disrupted the investigation into the murder of Yoel Lehenghel z"l - each according to his or her part.
The brawl that led to the murder of Yoel Lehenghel in Kiryat Shmona // Photo: Security cameras
According to the indictment, filed through attorney Elisef Klein, following a fight that developed on Tzahal Square Street in Kiryat Shmona, the police were called when the defendant Haim Gabbay arrived at the scene with another policeman and a volunteer.
After investigating the incident and believing that the incident was over, they left the scene and returned a short time later due to another report of a fight, during which Yoel Lehenghel was stabbed to death by Liad Edri.
During the investigation of the stabbing, Gabbay and Edri, who have prior acquaintances, spoke several times, including at the scene and by telephone. During the conversations, Edri told Gabbay that he had been involved in the altercation and asked him for information regarding the deceased's medical condition and the police investigation.
Gabbay updated Edri on the deceased's condition, the progress of the police investigation, and recommended that he hire a lawyer. In one of the other conversations, Gabbay told Edri that he "can be calm."
The next morning, Edri's mother called Gabay, and he recommended that she hire a lawyer for her son because his identity is known to the police, even though he knew that Edri's involvement was unknown to the police. Only after the police learned from another source about Edri's possible involvement in the stabbing incident did he become a suspect.
Liad Edri, accused of murdering Yoel Lehengahl, photo: Gil Eliyahu-Ginny
Despite Edri's involvement in the brawl, and the suspicion that he was involved in the stabbing, his mental state and the questions he asked, Gabbay consciously and deliberately refrained from giving the information to his commanders and the murder investigation team.
According to another indictment, Gabbay and another volunteer collected a bloodstained helmet from the scene and put it in the police car to preserve it as an exhibit. Policemen Cohen and Ben Shaya decided to return the helmet to the scene in a way that would conceal the fact that it had been moved from the scene and that it had been returned.
On their orders, Gabbay returned the helmet, but to a different location from where it was collected. In addition, the defendants also failed to document the movement and return of the helmet, and did not update the forensic documentation of the scene on the matter. The indictment accuses the defendants of committing offenses of obstruction of justice and fraud and breach of trust.
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