A three-judge panel of the Central District Court in Lod today sentenced two young men – one of them a minor – who were convicted of committing serious sexual offenses against a thirteen-and-a-half-year-old minor. Yosef-Haim Abutbul will serve an eight-year prison sentence, and the minor (whose name is not allowed to be published) was sentenced to three and a half years in prison "in light of the severity of the offenses he committed against the minor in a humiliating and violent manner, in order to strengthen his social status" and impress Abutbul." Both defendants were ordered to pay compensation to the minor.
Abutbul was 19 years and four months old and the minor was 15 years and three months old when they committed the offenses, which they confessed to as part of a plea bargain, without agreeing to punishment. The defendants and the minor girl had prior acquaintances of random encounters. On 04.09.20, the defendants decided to have sex with the minor, without asking for her consent.
In order to carry out their plan, the minor approached the victim, asked her to accompany him, and the two rode together on his electric bicycle to Abutbul's house. When they arrived at the scene, the two defendants committed repeated rape and other serious offenses against her consent, refusing her requests to let her go, treating her violently, pulling her hair and beating her. In addition, one of them filmed their actions with his cell phone, despite her requests that he stop. The next day, the videos were sent to a WhatsApp group shared by five contacts, and from there the videos were distributed to others, who watched them and distributed them further.
The probation service characterized the offences as having "elements of sadism, threats and cruelty", indicating an unusual degree in the intensity of the violation of protected values in sexual offences.
The sentences of both defendants were influenced by their young age, their confessions, and the fact that the minor girl was not required to testify in court. The court expressed its hope that the harsh penalties would deter others from committing such offenses.
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