Actor apologizes to his girlfriend after being convicted of attacking and threatening to murder her.
By JPOST.COM STAFFassi dayan 248.88(photo credit: Courtesy)
Assi Dayan, one of Israel's most successful TV and big-screen actors and directors, and the star of the hit Israeli television drama Betipul (In Therapy) was convicted on Monday by the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court of physically assaulting his 33-year-old girlfriend and threatening her life.
In the indictment, Dayan was charged with attacking his girlfriend after an argument broke out between the two, pushing her and threatening her with a knife. He then chased after her, threatened to slaughter her, and beat her on her body with the knife, according to the charge sheet.
A day earlier, the indictment went on, Dayan attacked her by holding her down on the couch, slapping her and puling her hair. The woman sustained a bruise to her left eye.
"I feel good. I caused her a lot of pain and I apologize for that," Dayan told reporters on Monday.
Dayan was arrested by Tel Aviv police in March after his partner appeared at a precinct in the city with a black eye, and told officers of a series of attacks she had been subjected to by the 67-year-old actor.
During police interrogations, Dayan managed to confess to the majority of the suspicions against him, and at one point admitted that "I told her if she continued, I would kill her."
In 2004, Dayan was convicted for cocaine possession and given a suspended sentence of eight months and 200 hours community service.
Two years later, Dayan was hospitalized after injecting himself with cocaine.
Dayan began his movie career in the 1960s. His most recent hit, Betipul, was purchased and produced in an American version, In Treatment, by Home Box Office.
Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report
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