The Haifa District Court on Wednesday sentenced a Kiryat Motzkin man to 10 years in jail for raping a 26-year-old woman he met on the internet.

Gal Hershkowitz, 26, was also convicted of attempting to rape a 17-year-old girl he also met on the Internet.

Two weeks ago, Hershkowitz was sentenced to eight years in prison for the rape of another woman. The two sentences will overlap over a course of two years.

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According to the charges in the current verdict, Hershkowitz invited the woman to his home, presenting himself upon her arrival as the brother of the man she was supposed to meet. He told the woman that he had prepared a surprise for her, and led her blindfolded into the house.

Heshkowitz then sexually assaulted the woman, kissing and undressing her. When she resisted and begged him to stop, he put a knife to her throat and proceeded to rape her.

According to the sentence, three days later Hershkowitz attempted to rape a 17-year-old girl he met through the ICQ online chat service. The two met in the Haifa area, where Hershkowitz led his victim into a secluded alley and attempted to rape her.

The girl struggled with Hershkowitz, and managed to escape after stabbing him in the face with a key.

The district court judges, noted in the sentence that "the defendant's actions are very serious and evoke a sense of revulsion, and it is obvious that such a man poses great danger to his surroundings."