Court says accused child abuser Malka Leifer must undergo key psych evaluation

The Jerusalem District Court orders alleged serial child rapist Malka Leifer to appear before a psychiatric panel that will determine whether she has been feigning mental illness to avoid extradition to Australia.

Judge Chana Lomp’s decision comes two days after Leifer’s attorneys informed the court that their client would not cooperate with the panel, which. they claim, will be biased against her.

The decision will require prison guards to compel Leifer to go to the panel in order for her to be evaluated.

Former principal Malka Leifer, wanted in Australia for child sex abuse crimes, seen at the Jerusalem District Court, February 14, 2018. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

The State Prosecutor’s Office also files a request to have all information from the trial passed along to the panel to give them a full picture of Leifer’s mental state. Without it, Leifer would likely have to be hospitalized for three weeks in order to be re-evaluated from scratch. This would likely delay the decision which the court ordered the panel to make by December 10, a source with knowledge of the proceedings tells The Times of Israel.

Lomp has now given the opportunity for Leifer’s attorneys to respond to the state’s request before passing the file on to the panel. A decision on the matter could come as quickly as later today, the source says.

Proceedings against Leifer have lasted over five years, during which Australia has continuously demanded that she be extradited back to Melbourne where she faces 74 charges of child sex abuse.

— Jacob Magid