Sydney: In line with media reports, an Australian court sentenced the former principal of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school to 15 years in prison on Thursday for sexually abusing two students.
April saw the conviction of Malka Leifer for 18 sexual offences, including rape, indecent assault, and penetration of a child between the ages of 16 and 17. She was exonerated by a jury on nine other charges.
Former Adass Israel School principal Leifer, 56, entered a not-guilty plea to all charges. Leifer, who is also an Israeli citizen, fled after the accusations were made in 2008 and was extradited from Israel to Australia in 2021.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Victoria County Court Judge Mark Gamble set a non-parole period of 11 years and six months but said he would take into account the 2,069 days she had already served.
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Between 2003 and 2007, when they were teenagers, three sisters accused Leifer of abusing them sexually on the Melbourne school grounds, in secure staff offices, while they were attending school camps, and at Leifer's house.
Leifer was found guilty by the court of crimes against two of them.
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One of the complainants told reporters outside the court after the decision that "our expectations were so low because female perpetrators are so under reported and we have nothing to base it on." "We just felt very grateful that we actually felt validated in that exact moment," the complainant said