The escape
The biggest news story in Israel these days is not the ceasefire, but the escape of the serial rapist Benny Sela and the nationwide hunt for him. In an example of (dare we say typical) incompetence, as well as possible malfeasance, two policemen were assigned to escort Benny aged 34 from his prison in Beersheva last Friday to a court appearance in Tel Aviv. Although it turns out that the court in question does not meet on Fridays, and the whole thing was a fraud. Nevertheless it seems that the prison authorities were taken in, and apparently no checking was made.
When they got to Tel Aviv Benny simply ran away, possibly in handcuffs but maybe not, and jumped over a wall and was gone. The two policemen have been suspended. Later they found his prison trousers abandoned, and he apparently had jeans underneath. Benny was the worst rapist in Israeli history, he was convicted for 35 years, the longest sentence in Israeli history for the rape of 14 women in the 1990's, but he is believed to have raped possibly as many as 40. These included young girls as well as adult women living alone that he stalked and broke into their apartments. He avoided capture by using gloves and forcing his victims to shower after the rape. He was very violent, although he did not kill any, and got away with it for years, another example of police incompetence.
Now there is a manhunt for him, but there are no leads. He was reported to be in Netanya, but the man in question who bolted from a taxi has been found and cleared. So a huge manhunt is on, probably the biggest in Israeli history, and the Minister for Security Affairs Avi Dichter has issued statements on the situation and has set up a Committee of Enquiry, and for once this has nothing to do with the Palestinians.
Naturally women are worried, but the police say that he is probably not going to give himself away by committing a rape, since he is very much trying to stay hidden, wherever he is. Certainly heads should roll for this, and it points up once again the incredible lack of seriousness or professionalism on the part of Israeli police and military, who have that characteristic Israeli attitude "don't worry, everything will be OK," until its not.
When they got to Tel Aviv Benny simply ran away, possibly in handcuffs but maybe not, and jumped over a wall and was gone. The two policemen have been suspended. Later they found his prison trousers abandoned, and he apparently had jeans underneath. Benny was the worst rapist in Israeli history, he was convicted for 35 years, the longest sentence in Israeli history for the rape of 14 women in the 1990's, but he is believed to have raped possibly as many as 40. These included young girls as well as adult women living alone that he stalked and broke into their apartments. He avoided capture by using gloves and forcing his victims to shower after the rape. He was very violent, although he did not kill any, and got away with it for years, another example of police incompetence.
Now there is a manhunt for him, but there are no leads. He was reported to be in Netanya, but the man in question who bolted from a taxi has been found and cleared. So a huge manhunt is on, probably the biggest in Israeli history, and the Minister for Security Affairs Avi Dichter has issued statements on the situation and has set up a Committee of Enquiry, and for once this has nothing to do with the Palestinians.
Naturally women are worried, but the police say that he is probably not going to give himself away by committing a rape, since he is very much trying to stay hidden, wherever he is. Certainly heads should roll for this, and it points up once again the incredible lack of seriousness or professionalism on the part of Israeli police and military, who have that characteristic Israeli attitude "don't worry, everything will be OK," until its not.
posted by Jack Cohen at 8:11 PM
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