Weinstein green-lights investigation of child-beating judge

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein agreed on Thursday to let police investigate a judge suspected of beating his children.

The decision followed calls from police and legal officials who urged Weinstein to immediately allow the investigation to proceed, asserting that there was sufficient evidence to serve an indictment against the judge and take the children out of his custody.

Welfare services lodged a complaint against the judge, whose name has been withheld to protect the identity of his children, three years ago, and in 2011 the police sought permission to question the man, but Weinstein did not approve the investigation.

“After weighing all the factors of the case, including those that relate to complex and sensitive family matters, the attorney general decided to order the launch of an investigation,” read the Justice Ministry statement Thursday. “As for the delays in handling the case, we regret that the attorney general’s inquiries and a clerical error caused the treatment to be more prolonged than necessary.” That said, the attorney general believed it was prudent to make all the necessary inquiries before reaching a decision in such a sensitive case.

The judge’s lawyers said they were convinced the investigation would prove his innocence.