The Central District Court in Lod sentenced Petah Tikva teacher Orel Sharon to 11 years in prison after he admitted and was convicted of committing serious sex offenses against one of his students.
Sharon, who was an English teacher at a middle school, committed the offenses over a period of about two years, when the student was between the ages of 12 and 14, according to the prosecution.
The sentence was handed down as part of an agreement in the case. In addition to the prison term, the court imposed a suspended sentence and ordered Sharon to pay the complainant NIS 90,000 in compensation.
Sharon was indicted in September in the Central District Court, after first being named as a suspect in the case in August, following his arrest and repeated extensions of his detention. He was 32 at the time of the indictment.
At the time, the prosecution said the case involved a student at the Petah Tikva middle school where Sharon taught English, and that the alleged conduct continued for about two years. The girl, whose identity is barred from publication because she is a minor, was 16 by the time the indictment was filed.
The relationship ended in March 2024
The investigation began after the girl filed a complaint against Sharon. Police had said at the time that the relationship ended in March 2024, shortly before she turned 15.
Prosecutor Meital Ilan of the Central District Attorney’s Office said Sharon had exploited his position and role as a teacher to harm the student in a place that was supposed to be safe and protected.
“Sharon exploited his status and role as a teacher in order to sexually harm his student, specifically in a space that is supposed to be safe and protected,” Ilan said.
“This was a severe and prolonged harm, and a breach of the trust of the complainant and her family, as well as of every parent in the country,” she added.
The prosecution said it would continue to act decisively to bring offenders to justice and stand by victims of crime.