Supreme Court rejects IDF colonel's appeal of rape conviction

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Israel Defense Forces Colonel Ataf Zahar over his conviction on charges of rape and sexual assault.

The court also criticized a female officer who sent the victim to speak with her assailant after the victim confided in her.

Zahar was sentenced by the military appeals court at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, which ruled that he must pay his victim NIS 35,000 in compensation, and demoted him to the rank of private.

Zahar was convicted of the rape in July.

"Ataf coarsely trampled the complainant's body, transformed her into a sexual object, and made black use of her innocence to satisfy his sexual urges," the judges ruled.