Ex-‘Dancing with the Stars’ contestant arrested for rape

Police arrested on Thursday a dance instructor and former participant on the Israeli version of “Dancing with the Stars” for the suspected rape and sexual assault of his pupils.

The arrest of Yaniv Kakun, 31, was made after a dance student of his filed a complaint with police in the northern city of Karmiel last week alleging she was taken advantage of sexually by Kakun, leading police to open an investigation into the matter and collect testimony from at least two other alleged victims.

Police said Kakun is suspected of rape, sodomy and other indecent sexual acts, including storing naked photos of his students on his computer.

A police spokesperson told the Ynet news site that some of the suspected offenses took place in recent months, while others were believed to have occurred a few years ago.

Kakun’s lawyer denied that his client was guilty during a hearing Thursday, and said that the suspicions against him were fabricated by a student with whom Kakun had a dispute.

The lawyer also said that Kakun was willing to take a polygraph test concerning the alleged offenses.

At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge ordered that Kakun’s remand be extended until Monday, saying that evidence from the police investigation showed that Kakun had stored naked pictures of his underage students on his computer and that Kakun’s claims during the hearing only strengthened the suspicions against him.