Malka Leifer: Sex-charge teacher’s accuser slams court delays
An alleged abuse victim of Malka Leifer says efforts to have the former Melbourne teacher extradited to Australia should not be delayed by a defence cross-examination of psychiatrists.
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An alleged victim of Malka Leifer says efforts to have the former Melbourne teacher extradited to Australia should not be delayed by a defence cross-examination of psychiatrists in an Israeli court.
Australia is seeking to have the former principal of the ultra-orthodox Adass Israel School in Elsternwick, Melbourne, returned to face 74 charges of sexually abusing her former students.
Nicole Meyer was due in the closed hearing at Jerusalem District Court on Wednesday night (Australian time) for the quizzing of the panel of psychiatrists who examined Leifer.
Judge Miriam Lomp has allowed the defence request to question the experts who claimed in a report that Leifer was a fraud who had faked an illness — and who was, in reality, fit to stand trial.
“That this is unprecedented surprises me, it does feel like another delay,” Ms Meyer told News Corp Australia from Jerusalem.
“They don’t need two days of cross-examination. (The judge) knows what the psychiatrists think.”
Ms Meyer said she still had faith in the Israeli system, even though the extradition matter has been through 64 court dates.
“I have to have faith that it is a fair system but that’s been tested by the constant delays over the last few years,” she said.
“If I didn’t have faith I wouldn’t be here.”
Leifer has been charged in Australia with 74 counts of sexual abuse against Ms Meyer and her sisters Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper while she was principal at Melbourne’s ultra-orthodox Adass Israel School.
The former school principal, 52, fled to Israel in 2008 after she was made aware the sisters were due to make a complaint.
Leifer remains in custody, despite attempts to get bail, but was not expected to attend court this week.
Ms Meyer said she had not seen Leifer since she was at school but was prepared to face her in court if she did attend at some point.
“I can imagine that she wouldn’t have that power imbalance,” she said.
“I don’t need power over her, and she would not be in the position to do that to me anymore.”
There has still been no date set for a decision on whether Leifer would be fit enough to face a trial in Australia.
Her lawyers said outside court at a hearing in January that it was “not over until it’s over” and it was expected they would try to further delay the process.
Ms Meyer said she would return with her sisters if a date for a decision was set.
The prosecution has been pressing the court to speed up the process, however the defence has claimed that the case has become politicised between the Israeli and Australian governments.
The defence will also be allowed to bring in more psychiatrists to challenge the decision of the independent panel, following a decision from Judge Lomp last week.
That hearing was expected to be in March.
Josh Burns MP, Federal Member for Macnamara, has raised concerns about the case, claiming the decision for the defence to call new psychiatrists was “astounding”.
The Labor MP for the inner city Melbourne seat has demanded that Leifer be returned to Australia immediately.
stephen.drill@news.co.uk