71-year-old man suspected of raping hitchhiker hospitalized at Rehovot's Kaplan Hospital

"A 71-year-old man from Beit Shemesh was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of raping a 16-year-old girl.

Police suspect that the rape took place on Wednesday evening, when the girl was hitchhiking next to Beit Shemesh. The man allegedly picked up the girl and took her to a moshav in the area, where he rented a room and raped her.

The girl then escaped from the room and reported the rape a social worker, who in turn told the police.

In her testimony, the girl described the suspect and the location of the incident. Police arrived at the scene to discover that the man had registered the room under his real name, and he was arrested over the weekend.

The man denied the suspicions against him. Shortly after police questioned him, he announced he felt ill, and was hospitalized at Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot.

Despite his medical condition, police have requested a court order his detention until the investigation is completed."

Source: Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent. 71-year-old man suspected of raping hitchhiker, 16. Haaretz.com (29 April 2006) [FullText]