ISRAEL
Australian Broadcast Corporation
October 26, 2017
By Sophie McNeill
For the last three years, Malka Leifer has been hiding out in Israel avoiding extradition to Australia, and now her victims have come to demand her return.
“It is a bit nerve-racking and scary but at the same time I feel proud of myself,” Elly Sapper said.
The 28-year-old is one of the ex-students who are alleging the former school principal abused them.
She has come to Israel with her two sisters, also alleged victims, to launch a campaign demanding Ms Leifer return to face court in Melbourne.
“I want them to really understand what we are going through and that every day this lady is running free, running wild, it’s really traumatic for us,” Ms Sapper said.
Ms Leifer is wanted by Victorian police on 74 charges of child sexual abuse including indecent assault and rape, allegedly committed while she was the principal of the Adass Israel ultra-orthodox Jewish girls’ school in Melbourne.
But Ms Leifer has avoided every single one of her extradition hearings in the last three years, claiming she suffers from panic attacks and anxiety.
Australian officials were then shocked last year when an Israeli judge halted extradition proceedings while the former principal underwent a psychiatric treatment regime.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.