Israeli doctor sentenced for rape — Jerusalem Post
The Tel Aviv District Court in Israel sentenced Aryeh Levin, the former senior physician at the Wolfson Medical Center, to six years in prison for the rape of a patient's mother and sexual offenses against two female patients. This was reported by the Jerusalem Post.
The prosecution had sought at least 13 years in prison for the 69-year-old Levin and said it would study the court's decision to determine its next steps. The court also ordered the former medic to pay 750,000 Israeli shekels in compensation to the four women affected by the crimes. He deposited the money before the sentence was announced.
Case circumstances
Levin previously headed the pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition department at the Wolfson Medical Center. In February, he was found guilty after admitting guilt under an amended indictment as part of a plea agreement. Under the agreement, the prison term was to be determined by the judges.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
The sentence covers the rape of a patient's mother, five counts of indecent acts against two female patients, as well as a separate offense involving a fourth woman. According to the indictment, in 2013, the doctor invited the mother of a boy he was treating to his office at Wolfson to collect medical documents. After she entered, he locked the door and raped her.
Court decision and appeal
The incidents described in the amended indictment took place between 2010 and 2021, at the hospital and Levin's clinics. In one case, he performed invasive examinations on a woman when she was a child, without her informed consent or that of her mother. The court found him guilty of abusing his authority as a doctor.
The three-judge panel stressed the particular severity of sexual offenses committed by medical professionals, as patients trust them while in a vulnerable state. The court took into account Levin's admission of guilt, his age, lack of previous convictions, changes to the original charges, and the compensation deposited. He was also given suspended sentences and credited with 34 days spent in custody. Levin informed the Ministry of Health that he would no longer practice medicine and asked for his license to be permanently revoked. He may appeal the sentence within 45 days.
