Indicted in Tel Aviv After Allegedly Breaking Into Complainant’s Home and Assaulting Her in Bed

A criminal indictment filed Wednesday in Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court accuses Israel Sharabi, 38, of Bnei Brak, of breaking into the home of a woman who had complained against him and assaulting her while she slept. Prosecutors say Sharabi had been under supervision in a Tel Aviv halfway arrangement at the Achpat association, alongside a public protection order under Israel’s sex offender law and a restraining order barring him from the victim’s area in Bnei Brak.

According to the indictment, Sharabi fled the hostel where he was required to stay about two weeks ago. The next morning at 5:38 a.m., he allegedly reached the complainant’s building, entered her apartment through a door that was closed but unlocked, and went into her bedroom. While she slept in bed, he allegedly pulled off her blanket and touched her over her clothing.

The woman woke up, found him in her room, and demanded that he leave. He allegedly replied, “What, what happened?” She pushed him away with the blanket and grabbed a chair to keep him at a distance, after which he fled. Prosecutors say he then remained in the area where he was banned from being.

The complainant’s father spotted him on a nearby street and alerted the supervising officer. When the officer found him and said he was under arrest, Sharabi allegedly answered, “No,” and ran through streets and parked cars. Police arrested him only after a chase lasting more than an hour.

In his first police interrogation, Sharabi admitted leaving the hostel without permission, saying, “I wasn’t comfortable there,” and that he did not want his father to keep paying 3,000 shekels for his stay. He also admitted going to the restricted area, but later denied the allegations before changing his version again, saying, “I knew I wasn’t allowed to be there, but I gave you the cold shoulder,” and, “Let’s say I was not allowed to be there and I went to a place I was not allowed to be.” Prosecutors say this was not a one-time lapse, noting eight prior convictions, including sex offenses, violating supervision orders, threats, violence, and property crimes, and arguing that the conduct came shortly after he finished a prison term and in breach of multiple protective orders.