50-yr-old Bnei Brak man sentenced to 15 years jail for sexually assaulting 8-yr-old girl in bomb-shelter

"Haven of safety" became place full of "fear, anxiety," court says in its ruling; says danger of man repeating actions.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
Bomb Shelter (empty) 370 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
Bomb Shelter (empty) 370
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
The Tel Aviv District Court sentenced a 50-year-old man to 15 years in prison, on Wednesday, for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl.
Ushar Argaman of Bnei Brak, who perpetrated the assault in January 2012, was also fined NIS 50,000.
The girl’s name is under a gag-order mandated by the court.
Argaman intercepted the girl as she was leaving her residence, but while she was still in its general vicinity.
He offered to help her on her way to school, which she initially refused.
Argaman persisted until she relented and then, as the two were walking past the residence’s bomb-shelter, he pushed her into the bomb-shelter.
Next, he forced her down on a moldy mattress in the shelter, removed her clothing and sexually assaulted her.
The girl attempted to scream, but Argaman warned her that if she screamed he would assault her for longer and also injure her.
The sexual assault caused the girl a number of injuries throughout her body.
In handing down what it considered a relatively harsh sentence in the spectrum of sentences for sexual assaults, the court said it gave “serious consideration to the age of the minor – a girl of only eight years – the location of the event – around her residence, which was supposed to be a haven of security for her – and the dark and damp scene of the crime, which also increased the fear and anxiety that filled the girl.”
The court noted that Argaman “failed to take responsibility for his actions.” It also noted that there is “a real danger of him repeating his actions.”
Brushing off evidence brought about Argaman’s difficult life and circumstances, the court said no circumstances justified such a “brutal” act of violence against such a young victim.