Court Increases Sentence for Car Thief Who Exploited Post-Oct. 7 Chaos

An Israeli man convicted of stealing five vehicles from Kibbutz Be'eri shortly after the October 7th Hamas attacks has had his prison sentence increased. Guy Haddad, who owned a towing company, was originally sentenced to 5.5 years in prison by a lower court. However, the Beersheba District Court accepted an appeal from the prosecution, extending his sentence to 7.5 years.

Haddad exploited his volunteer status in a relief effort and access to closed military zones to commit the crimes. He and an accomplice used a false pretense of evacuating vehicles for residents to enter Kibbutz Be'eri, steal the cars, and transfer them to the Palestinian Authority using fictitious sales documents.

The district court rejected Haddad's own appeal against his conviction and sentence, finding no reason to overturn the lower court's factual findings. The judges agreed with the prosecution that the original sentence did not adequately reflect the severity of the crimes committed during a period of national trauma and widespread public support efforts.

The original sentence also included a suspended sentence, a fine of NIS 25,000, a driver's license suspension, and NIS 5,000 in compensation to each of the car owners. These additional penalties remain in place.