Four soldiers arrested for alleged gang rape
One suspect's attorney claims that relations between his client and the complainant were consensual
Four soldiers were arrested after a female soldier said the group gang-raped her approximately two weeks ago, Channel 2 reported on Wednesday.
The four suspects allegedly entered the soldier’s room, on the Hatzerim Air Force Base, and took turns raping her.
The victim filed a complaint with the military police at the urging of her commanding officers.
An army official said that the incident would be investigated with particular care due to its serious nature.
An official from the IDF Spokesperson’s Office said the soldiers were arrested and an investigation launched.
Shai Roda, a criminal attorney representing one of the four suspects, claimed that the sexual relations that had taken place between his client and the complainant were consensual, the Hebrew-language daily Israel Hayom reported.
The number of complaints in the army regarding sexual offenses has increased in recent years, with 777 complaints in 2012, 930 in 2013, and 1,073 in 2014, according to Haaretz.