Last update - 00:00 10/09/2007
Border Police officer sentenced to jail for ordering Hebron robberies
By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent
Jerusalem District Court sentenced a Border Police officer to 20 months in prison Monday for ordering several armed robberies of Palestinian shops in Hebron four years ago.
David Sehayek was convicted after confessing to robbery and abuse of power. His subordinate, Ofir Eden, was also found guilty and sent to nine months in custody. The court also ordered the two to pay their victims NIS 3000.
In the ruling, the court said that the shop owners fell victim to the humiliating behavior of the defendants, who robbed their shops and aggressed them for no apparent reason.
"Instead of enforcing public order in Hebron, the two entered Palestinian shops, stole their property while threatening their owners and shared the loot with their fellow policemen," the court ruling said.
Based on the ruling, it appears that Sehayek went beyond simple robbery. On various occasions he threatened the complainants and once even hit one shop owner on the head. It also appears that while being in charge of a police patrol Sehayek abused his power to carry out more robberies. "Not only did he steal money from innocent citizens, he also humiliated and demeaned them for no apparent reason," the ruling said.
The defendants pled guilty and showed remorse. Sehayek's attorney told the court that "these deeds were carried out by despaired and frustrated policemen, whose friends had been killed in a bombing in Hebron."
The prosecutor, Attorney Moshe Saada of the Police Investigations Department, later said that "the court accepted the charges and we are very pleased. We hope this verdict will send a message to all security forces, and events such as these will never happen again."