Jaffa Flea Market Vendor Charged With Rape of American Tourist
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Two Jaffa flea market vendors suspected of sexually assaulting an American tourist were indicted Sunday in a Tel Aviv court.
The suspected assailants were only identified in the indictment as A.S., 39, from Ra’anana and S.R., 44, from Holon.
A.S. was charged with rape and other sexual offenses and has apparently claimed the woman consented, while S.R. denied the charges.
According to the indictment, last Monday the 25-year-old American tourist entered a jewelry store owned by A.S. and selected a ring priced at NIS 80. She handed him a NIS 200 bill, but he refused to give her change and instead implored her to shop for more jewelry. She said she was not interested, but he knelt down and tried to put a bracelet around her ankle at which point she pushed him away.
He then took her to a corner of the store and started groping her despite her demands that he stop, according to the indictment. At some point, the indictment continued, he told her he was leaving the store for a few minutes and warned her that if she left it would be “suicide.” When he returned he allegedly raped her and said she would be free to go when he “finished.”
Read more at Haaretz.com.
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