Man indicted in rape of woman, another accused of paying to join in

Indictments were filed Thursday against two men accused of raping a woman, one of whom allegedly assaulted her in a Petah Tikva parking lot, and the second, an eyewitness to the attack, who then paid him to be able to rape the victim as well.

Iyad Abdullah, 41, a Palestinian who was in Israel without a permit, and Vota Ayla, 30, an Israeli resident of the city, were indicted at the Central District Court.

“The case is at the highest tier of rape offenses,” prosecutors wrote in a request to remand the suspects until the end of proceedings. “These are particularly serious acts of rape, of two strangers who saw the complainant’s intoxicated state and that she was ‘easy prey’ and decided to carry out their scheme against her.

“The lack of compassion, and the sickening acts committed, indicate that the respondents are unrestrained, and their danger rises to the highest tier of sexual offenses and violence,” prosecutors wrote.

According to the indictments the incident happened on August 15 and began when the intoxicated woman, who had been drinking at home, arrived at Hameyasdim Square in the central region city.

As she sat on a bench outside a bar, Abdullah began talking to her and the two then walked together towards an alley. There, Abdullah allegedly dragged the woman inside and began to assault her, pinning her arms to prevent her escape. The woman at one point managed to break free and headed toward a parking lot, where Abdullah allegedly forced her to the ground on a mattress at the site and raped her.

Prosecutors say that Ayla had watched the attack from afar, following Abdullah to the parking lot. There, he offered to give Abdullah cash in return for being allowed to also rape the woman, who was left lying on the mattress. Abdullah agreed and went to buy alcohol from a nearby store while Ayla allegedly raped the victim.

Abdullah has claimed the sex was consensual while Ayla has admitted that he acted against the woman’s wishes, the Ynet website reported.

Also Thursday police arrested a man, 20, from Tel Aviv on suspicion that he raped a 17-year-old girl at a convenience store where he worked in the south of the city. An initial investigation found that the woman arrived at the shop to make some purchases. The man is alleged to have taken her to a back room and attacked her.

The indictments come following the alleged gang rape last month of a 16-year-old girl in the southern resort city of Eilat, prompting demonstrations and calls for reform to address sexual assault.

Eleven people were indicted Wednesday over the Eilat incident, including several minors. Four people — two men, 27, and two teenage brothers — were indicted for rape. The others were indicted for various offenses including an indecent act, abetting a rape, conspiracy to commit a crime and failing to assist the teenage victim. Further indictments against additional suspects are expected in the case.