Adult, minor indicted for kicking Sudanese man to death

An adult and a minor were charged on Sunday with allegedly kicking a Sudanese asylum seeker to death following a late night argument over some teenage girls in the city of Petah Tikva.

The indictments for the killing were filed at the Central District Magistrate’s court against Dennis Bershivitz, 20, from Petah Tikva, and a minor, aged 16, for the slaying of Babikir Ali Adham-Uvdo on November 14, 2016, in the city.

Bershivitz is also accused of obstruction of justice after he repeatedly failed to turn up for questioning about the incident. Full details of the indictment were withheld by the court as the identity of the minor is barred from publication, the Justice Ministry said.

According to court papers, close to midnight on November 14, Adham-Uvdo approached three teenage girls who were drinking and talking in the Petah Tikva municipal plaza. Apparently, after a short exchange, they shouted at him that he leave them alone.

Bershivitz and the minor came over and shouted at Adham-Uvdo, believed to be about 40 years old, who raised his hands over his head and moved to leave the location. As he walked away, and with has back still turned towards them, the minor ran up, kicked him from behind, and threw a beer can at his head. The minor then allegedly kicked his victim again, knocking him to the ground and followed that up with several more hard kicks to Adham-Uvdo’s upper body, back, neck and head as he lay sprawled on the sidewalk.

Bershivitz then joined the attack and as Adham-Uvdo tried to get up gave him a hard kick causing his head to hit the sidewalk, the court papers said. Bershivitz continued the assault, kicking him another three times, pushing and punching him and kicking him while he lay helpless on the ground.

According to the indictment, as Bershivits delivered his final blows Adham-Uvdo made gargling sounds. The two suspects then ran off. Adham-Udo was brought to Beilinson Hospital where he died four days later of his injuries.

The minor was arrested shortly after the attack and Bershevitz several days later after refusing to present himself for questioning. Eventually, when police arrived in a patrol car at his home to arrest him, he ran off but was quickly detained.

There are currently some 47,000 African migrants living in Israel, the vast majority of whom claim asylum seeker status. More than 90 percent of them come from Eritrea, Sudan and the Congo, but Israel has recognized fewer than 1% as asylum claims, and since 2009, less than 0.15% — the lowest rate in the Western world.