Posing as doctor, man allegedly rapes maternity patient at Jerusalem hospital

The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Sunday extended by seven days the detention of an East Jerusalem man who is accused of presenting himself as a doctor at a hospital in the capital and raping a maternity patient.

The suspect, a 29-year-old resident of the Anata neighborhood, was arrested on Saturday after allegedly assaulting his victim in the Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

According to police, the suspect — who was employed at a supermarket in southern Jerusalem — began his crime spree Saturday when he entered another grocery store and tried to steal some items.

When the owners noticed his activities, he dropped the pilfered items and ran away.

The suspect later entered the hospital, where he stole a cellphone, according to the police account. When he discovered his alleged victim lying in a maternity ward, he presented himself as a doctor, raped her, and then fled the building, police said.

The hospital’s security officer reported the incident to police who launched an investigation, ultimately leading to the man’s arrest.

Contradicting the police, the hospital said in a statement that the incident involved “an incident act” and not rape. It said it was examining its security procedures to find out how the imposter managed to evade security and carry out the alleged attack.