Fugitive accused of gang rape in IDF in '99 arrested after 14 years

The victim of the assault posted about his traumatic experience on Facebook.

By YVETTE J. DEANE
An IDF soldier (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
An IDF soldier
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Police on Thursday arrested a man accused of committing gang rape of a new IDF recruit in basic training in 1999. and who subsequently fled the country after being indicted, Ynet reported on Friday.
Shahar Mizrahi, was suspected of reentering Israel under a false identity with a fake passport and then hiding in the West Bank.
The victim of the assault posted about his traumatic experience on Facebook.
"Until 19 I was an ordinary and average child, going on trips and participating in youth movements. In the middle of my basic training, I did not feel well... I arrived on Tuesday afternoon on the bus leaving Ashkelon at 17:30. The date 5 October 1999, I will never forget," the former IDF recruit wrote.
"I write this post to show that males are also raped and that it is very difficult for them."
The young man reported the incident to authorities about a year and a half after the incident and Mizrahi, along with 3 other defendants, was later charged. During trial proceedings in 2005, Mizrahi escaped custody, effectively escaping the law for 17 years.
"The military police, with the assistance of the Israeli police, arrested Shahar Mizrahi, along with three other soldiers who were indicted in 2002 for serious sexual offenses against another soldier. During the course of the legal proceedings against him, Mizrahi fled the country and was not caught for many years, which prevented the continuation of the legal proceedings against him," the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said. 
Two out of the three others who were accused were acquitted due to Mizrahi's absence from the proceeding. Only one of the four was found guilty and sentenced to 6 years in prison.