Last update - 00:00 12/09/2006
Court upholds sex offense conviction for heiress' husband
By Nir Hasson, Haaretz Correspondent
The Tel Aviv District Court Tuesday upheld the conviction of Ofer Glazer, 45, husband of billionaire heiress Shari Arison, for sexually harassing and molesting two women.
Glazer was sentenced to six months in jail after he was found guilty last year. One of his victims was a nurse hired to care for his wife. He was convicted of fondling one of the complainants, and of kissing the other one against her will.
The court also upheld Glazer's sentence.
Glazer's attorneys have turned to the Supreme Court in a final effort to get the conviction and sentence overturned. The District Court ruled that if the Supreme Court does not find reason to overturn the conviction, Glazer will begin serving his sentence on the 17th of October.
Glazer has also been fined NIS 10,000 and ordered to compensate each of the complainants with NIS 15,000. He was given a one year suspended sentence as well.
According to Hadas Porrer-Gefni, spokesman for the prosecution in the case, the conviction and the rejection of the appeal "send a strong message, loud and clear, to the victims and the entire public: those who commit offenses like these can expect to be behind bars."