Serial harasser in the Sharon: A man from Netanya allegedly used to hitchhike girls and then sexually harass them, touch their bodies and make sexual advances to them.
Sharon District police arrested Avi Peleg, 32, who works as a lifeguard in Netanya, on suspicion of committing sexual offenses against girls while hitchhiking them. According to suspicions, Peleg used to persuade the minors to sit next to him and not in the back seat of the car, and during the ride he would "reach" their hands and make indecent proposals to them, when he knew they were minors.
Ride, illustration, photo: GettyImages
Peleg was brought today for a hearing in the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court. Police representative Maj. Yehuda Gigi said at the hearing: "This is a suspect who recently used to pick up underage hitchhikers when he sexually harassed them. In the latest incident, the suspect picked up a 15-year-old girl and put his hand on her thigh while driving, even though she told him she was 15. He also made her an offer even though he knew she was a minor. This joins two complaints that occurred in the past week about the same suspect, the same vehicle. He regularly rounds up underage girls and sexually harasses them. The suspect was interrogated a month ago at the Netanya police station and posted bail. Since then, he has continued to carry out the deeds. We think he's dangerous."
The police asked to extend his detention by five days, but Judge Limor Khaled-Ron decided to place him under house arrest for four days at his mother's home. The investigation into the case is ongoing and the police are investigating whether other girls were harmed by Peleg.
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