Rehovot Yeshiva Teacher Convicted of Having Sex With Pupil

Substitute teacher at Hadarom yeshiva in Rehovot convicted by Ramle Magistrates Court of committing indecent act against student; ‘I was driven by sexual urges,’ she tells investigators

It was cleared for publication on Sunday that a substitute teacher at the Hadarom yeshiva in Rehovot was convicted by the Ramle Magistrates Court of having sexual relations with one of her students.

The teacher has admitted to the charges in the framework of a plea bargain, and now the prosecution is expected to demand that the court sentence her to community service and a suspended sentence.

The affair was revealed a year-and-a-half ago, when the teacher was suspected of having sexual relations with five of her students. A police investigation found that she would phone her students and invite them to her home for private lessons, during which she also had sex with them.

A parent of one of the students noticed a change in her son’s behavior and eventually informed police of the teacher’s misconduct. Meanwhile, the yeshiva also filed a complaint against the teacher, who said she was driven by sexual urges.

“It was a dumb thing to do and I regret it,” she told investigators.

The teacher said the sex was consensual. After her admission the teacher was released and ordered not to show up at the yeshiva until the investigation’s conclusion.

The teacher was convicted of committing an indecent act against only one student, and she will apparently be sentenced only after the court is briefed by her probation officer.

Source: Eli Senyor Yeshiva teacher convicted of having sex with pupil. Ynetnews.com (8 January 2007) [FullText]