Man charged with raping, assaulting Ashkelon woman

A 44-year-old American tourist twice raped, threatened and sexually assaulted an Israeli woman in Ashkelon, according to an indictment filed in the Beersheba District Court on Monday.

According to the indictment, filed by the Southern District Attorney, the defendant, Nikolai Tasberman, met the complainant, known only as B., years ago when the two studied together in a school in Bielce, Moldova’s second-largest city.

In recent years, the two kept in touch via the internet, the indictment said.

Allegedly, Tasberman came to Israel on a tourist visa in 2011, but when his visa expired, he remained in the country unlawfully.

While in Israel, Tasberman maintained friendly contact with B., but the two did not have any kind of intimate or romantic relationship, the indictment said.

According to the indictment, the first rape took place one morning late last month when B. was in her daughter’s home caring for her infant granddaughter.

Tasberman came to visit, and when B.

let him into the apartment, he told her that he had come to say farewell because he had decided to go back home to the US, the indictment said.

B. asked Tasberman whether he had brought with him a passport photograph of her that he had in his possession and which she wanted back, but Tasberman replied that he first “wanted to get something” from B., meaning that he wanted to have sexual intercourse with her, the indictment said.

B. refused, and even told Tasberman that she had her period, so that he would leave her alone, the indictment charges.

However, according to the indictment, Tasberman told B. that he didn’t believe her, and dragged her into the children’s bedroom, shoved her onto the floor and said that unless she wanted him to use force, she should cooperate and “do what is necessary.”

When B. told Tasberman that she did not want to have sex with him, Tasberman threatened her, saying he would “ruin her life,” the indictment alleges.

Tasberman allegedly said that he would rape B., that if she would not “give it up to him” he would force her to have oral sex with him, and cursed B., calling her a “whore.”

After forcibly undressing B., Tasberman kissed her on the chest, leaving a mark, before raping her, the indictment alleges.

Shortly after that rape, the indictment said, B. sent an email to Tasberman, asking him to return the passport photograph of her that he had in his possession, and Tasberman promised to do so.

On May 14, however, Tasberman paid an unexpected visit to B.’s house, but B.

did not open the door to Tasberman, and talked with him through a small opening in the closed door.

Allegedly, Tasberman asked B. if she really wanted the photograph back, and said that if she did he would need to “have her” in return.

Tasberman forced open the door, the indictment alleges, dragged B. into the children’s bedroom, pushed her onto a bed and tried to undress her, the indictment said, first tearing off her bra and indecently assaulting her.

Tasberman then raped B. a second time, the indictment said.

Later, Tasberman dragged B. into the lounge, pushed her onto a sofa and forcibly kissed her before threatening to strangle her, the indictment said.

When the telephone in the apartment rang, B. managed to answer and screamed that she was being raped, the indictment said, and afterwards B. ran to an open kitchen window and screamed out of it.

Meanwhile, Tasberman told B. that if he could not have her, then nobody else could either, the indictment alleges.

“I’ll find you, don’t you worry,” Tasberman allegedly threatened B. as he left the house.

The assault left B. battered and bruised, the indictment said.

Alongside the indictment, the Southern District Attorney also filed a request that Tasberman be remanded in custody for the duration of the criminal proceedings against him.