Malka Leifer jailed for 15 years over sexual abuse of students at ultra-Orthodox Jewish school

A remorseless Malka Leifer ‘preyed on’ two former students at an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school, a court heard.

Malka Leifer was convicted in April on 18 charges of sexual abuse. Picture: AFP

Former school principal Malka Leifer has been jailed for 15 years over the sexual abuse of two former students.

The 56-year-old must serve at least 11-and-a-half years before she is eligible for parole. The court will consider her already having served 2069 days of that sentence, due to pre-sentence detention in Australia and Israel.

Leifer was convicted in April of 18 offences against sisters Elly Sapper and Dassi Erlich between 2003 and 2007.

The abuse occurred when the pair were pupils of Adass Israel School in Elsternwick, part of a small enclave of ultra-conservative Jewish families in Melbourne’s inner south-east.

Outside court, Ms Sapper said the sentence was a “momentous day”.

“We feel overwhelmed and grateful that the legal system has recognised and validated the extreme impact of abuse by female perpetrators. Malka Leifer has finally been held accountable.

Sisters Elly Sapper, Nicole Meyer and Dassi Erlich outside Victorian County Court. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

“Today’s ruling of 15 years recognises the harm and pain that Malka Leifer caused each one of us to suffer over so many years. Trauma from sexual abuse is a lifelong sentence.

“While no amount of years will ever be sufficient, we are so relieved that Malka Leifer is now in prison … and cannot prey on anyone else.”

Outside the court, Ms Erlich said: “I could feel those emotions coming up as the judge was speaking, and then knowing that’s not where we are anymore, that we were not powerless anymore.”

PRINCIPAL GROOMED HER VICTIMS

Earlier on Thursday, the court heard Leifer groomed at least one of three sisters before sexually assaulting them.

At the outset of Leifer’s sentencing hearing, Judge Mark Gamble told Victoria’s county court of the sheltered upbringing of Leifer’s three complainants – Ms Erlich, Ms Sapper and Nicola Meyer.

A picture of Leifer from 2006.

“(They were) ignorant in sexual matters until shortly before they got married. They had no understanding of human anatomy, puberty or sexual relations,” he said.

Judge Gamble said Leifer started giving “private lessons” to Ms Erlich, where she told her she loved her and felt she was a mother to her.

He said Leifer “prepared” the complainant for offending and said he accepted this as “grooming”.

Judge Gamble noted the “delay” of 15 years between the offences taking place and when the trial was held.

He said he would take into account Ms Erlich’s and Ms Sapper’s impact statement statements, which were delivered in court and read aloud by the sisters in June.

“Ms Erich and Ms Sapper addressed ongoing impact during (the 15-year) period,” he said.

“It has been profound and life changing. To the extent that Ms Erlich and Ms Sapper feel personal guilt and shame, they should not.

“They were completely innocent victims of the predatory behaviour of Mrs Leifer.”

‘NO REMORSE’ SHOWN BY LEIFER

Judge Gamble told the court Leifer has continued to deny she raped any of the three sisters, and had shown no remorse while in prison at the Dame Phylis Frost Centre in Victoria.

“She has strenuously maintained her innocence. She has (shown) no insight and no remorse,” he said.

As Judge Gamble described the nature of the offending committed by Leifer, she appeared to shed a tear.

“When viewed globally the sexual offending in which Mrs Leifer engaged must be considered as very serious,” he said.

Watching on via zoom, Leifer otherwise did not react to any of the statements made during the three hour hearing.

Judge Gamble said Leifer has already served a total of 2069 days in custody, including the periods of time she spent in jail in Israel and while she was under house arrest.

Leifer is taken from North Melbourne police station into a police van in 2021. Picture: David Crosling

HIGH-PROFILE SUPPORT IN COURT

Among those in attendance at the full court room on Thursday was former Victorian premier Ted Baillieu and state opposition and Jewish MP David Southwick.

Leifer has been found guilty of six rape charges, six indecent assault charges, three sexual penetration of a 16 or 17 year old and three indecent act charges.

A maximum of 25 years jail can be handed down for rape charges, while those guilty of indecent act and sexual penetration of a minor can serve up to 10 years in jail per charge.

LEIFER GUILTY ON 18 CHARGES

Leifer was convicted in April on 18 charges of sexually abusing sisters Elly Sapper and Dassi Erlich during her time as principal of Adass Israel School.

She was acquitted of nine charges, including some relating to the alleged abuse of the pair’s elder sister, Nicole Meyer.

Leifer’s guilty verdicts relate to incidents where she raped and indecently assaulted children between 2004 and 2007 on school trips, at her Elsternwick home and backstage at a school play.

Leifer fled Australia in the dead of night in 2008 after the Adass ­Israel School in Melbourne learned about a number of complaints that she had abused her students.

The school paid for her ticket to Israel.

FAKED MENTAL ILLNESS

She was extradited to Australia from Israel in 2020 after she spent years fighting calls to face justice.

Prosecutor Justin Lewis KC told Victoria’s County Court in June that three separate panels of psychiatrists found Leifer faked mental problems to delay legal proceedings, and other experts reported psychotic breakdowns took place only in the days leading up to hearings in Israel as authorities were attempting to extradite her.

A 2011 judgment concluded she was fit to be extradited and “she had been essentially pretending to be ­mentally ill in order to avoid the extradition”.

In 2018, another two expert reports concluded the same, and in 2020 another panel of ­experts unanimously concluded Leifer was “fit to stand trial”, Mr Lewis said.

The Adass Israel School in Elsternwick. Picture: Ian Currie