IPS to probe Assaf Goldring's prison suicide

Assaf Goldring leaps to

By YAAKOVE LAPPIN, JPOST.COM STAFF
The Israel Prison Service will begin on Tuesday morning an investigation to examine the circumstances under which Assaf Goldring, who killed his toddler in July, was able to end his own life while detained at Hadarim Prison on Yom Kippur. Simultaneously, the police will conduct their own investigation. Goldring killed himself on Yom Kippur by jumping from a courtyard fence at the Hadarim prison in the Sharon district, a little over a month after former television star Dudu Topaz - who was also on a suicide watch - took his own life, and has turned up the heat on the embattled Israel Prisons Service. Goldring, 34, was in the midst of a murder trial. He had slit his wrists immediately after killing his daughter, Noa on July 25. A few days later, Goldring was stopped by police officers from jumping out the window of a psychiatric hospital where he was being observed. Goldring caught wardens off guard at approximately 3 p.m. on Monday while out on a daily courtyard walk, when he suddenly leapt up a courtyard fence gate, climbed up the fence, and dived head first into the ground from a height of three meters, smashing his skull on the concrete. Wardens and paramedics attempted to save him, but Goldring was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. Goldring was accompanied by one other warden in the courtyard, who was "carrying out a check of fences" when the suicide took place, an IPS source told The Jerusalem Post. "The whole thing lasted 10 seconds. It shows us that those who are determined to end their lives will do so. There are cases where this cannot be prevented," the source added. He stressed that since the beginning of 2009, the IPS succeeded in preventing over 750 suicide attempts. Goldring's death was the 13th prisoner suicide this year. Due to his previous suicide attempts, Goldring was kept in a separate monitoring cell where he was under round-the-clock video surveillance. He was visited daily by senior wardens and professional caretakers who evaluated his condition. Goldring confessed to killing his daughter in his Moshav Batzra home. His lawyer, Gad Zilbershlag, argued that his client was mentally unbalanced.