JERUSALEM (ISRAEL)
The Sydney Morning Herald
March 9, 2018
By Gabrielle Weiniger
Alleged child abuser Malka Leifer will remain in custody in a psychiatric ward after prosecutors appealed to stop her release to house arrest.
At the hearing in Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday, Leifer’s defence lawyer Yehuda Fried argued that the former Melbourne school principal was not a flight risk, and that while recent evidence may show her living a normal life, Leifer was unfit to stand trial and was still having psychotic episodes – a claim that saw her extradition trial abandoned three years ago.
Despite Fried’s efforts, Leifer will remain in custody in the medical facility for the next few days, until the Supreme Court judge evaluates the evidence and makes a final ruling next week.
The decision to keep her in remand comes a day after the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court ordered Leifer to be released from custody. She had been held in prison-like conditions at the Eitanim psychiatric hospital since her re-arrest on February 12.
New evidence showing Leifer living a seemingly normal life prompted authorities to re-arrest her last month, three years after charges were dropped due to mental illness.
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