Police officer sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for rape by deception

A police officer has been convicted of raping six women by deceiving them with false promises of positions in an undercover unit, the Justice Ministry’s internal affairs department announced Thursday.

Under the plea deal, Itzik Zrihan will serve 4.5 years in prison and compensate the victims a total of NIS 174,000 ($55,000), a statement from the Police Internal Investigations Department said.

He was convicted by the Central District Court in Lod of rape by deception and various fraud charges.

According to the indictment, Zrihan falsely told the women he was unmarried and held a senior post in an undercover unit, offering them positions in the unit and promising a high salary and other benefits.

Zrihan allegedly told the women that they would need to engage in sexual relations with suspected criminals as part of their work in the undercover unit, and that they would need to undergo training that included having sex with him.

“The defendant asserted control over their lives, scared and humiliated them,” the indictment said.

The indictment also alleged that Zrihan reached out to other women on Facebook and offered them posts in the police unit.

The top prosecutor on the case welcomed the sentence handed to Zrihan as “significant.”