The former girlfriend of a member of a reputed crime family told a court yesterday that she saw her ex-boyfriend, Avi Abutbul, and his cousin, Francois Abutbul, cleaning a car at 4:30 A.M. after allegedly committing a murder, and said they warned her not to tell anyone what she saw.

Francois Abutbul is accused of stabbing Ra'anan Levy, 18, outside a Kibbutz Shefayim nightclub in December 2004.

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Francois and Avi Abutbul allegedly drove to the nightclub after Avi's brother asked them to come because he was involved in a fight there. According to the indictment, Francois killed Levy after the defendants chased him in their jeep.

Avi's ex-girlfriend, Reut Rubin, was testifying in the Netanya Magistrate's Court during trial of Assaf Ben-David, one of two friends of the Abutbul cousins - the second is Shai Machluf - who were charged as accomplices to the murder. The two were allegedly sitting in the back of the jeep while the attack took place.

Rubin told the court yesterday that the day after the jeep was cleaned, the friends became tense after seeing a television news report about Levy's murder.

"They were constantly wandering around, talking among themselves, phone calls, stress," she said.

Rubin said she received threatening phone calls after cooperating with police, and was told to recant her testimony.

"They threatened me on the phone that I [should] go and say that I lied, because if not, they would hurt my mother, my father and my brothers," Rubin told the court.

Life in danger

The prosecution says Rubin's life is in danger and that she is staying in an undisclosed location, under police protection, until she finishes testifying.

Rubin has also asked to testify from behind a screen so she won't have to see the defendants.

According to the prosecution, Avi Abutbul told Rubin about the murder, but she was not allowed to testify about his alleged comments because it is considered hearsay.

Rubin is due to testify against her ex-boyfriend, his cousin and Machluf next week. In that case too, the defense attorneys oppose allowing Rubin to say Avi Abutbul told her about the murder.