BREAKING NEWS

IDF chief's former bodyguard appeals prison sentence

SEPTEMBER 13, 2010 09:10

Erez Efrati, the former bodyguard of the IDF Chief of Staff, launched an appeal on Sunday against an eight-year-sentence he received after being convicted of attempting to sexually assault a 22-year-old woman.

In July, Efrati was sentenced after pleading guilty to attempted sexual assault. As part of the plea bargain, the court dropped charges of attempted rape, and in addition to his sentence, Efrati received a two years' suspended sentence and was ordered to pay the victim NIS 150,000.

But Efrati disputed the justice of his conviction on Sunday at the Tel Aviv District Court, claiming that his earlier conviction had failed to take into account his level of intoxication during the incident.

Efrati added in his appeal that no significant physical harm had been caused to the young woman during the incident - an argument that sparked an outraged condemnation from Dr. Dana Pugach, head of the Noga Center for Victims of Crime at the Ono Academic College.

Pugach, who has acted as a spokeswoman for the woman who was attacked by Efrati, said Efrati's claim regarding physical harm was "outrageous and shocking" in light of the fact that he attempted to harm her and was stopped just in time by a passer-by.

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