Central Israel man gets 11 years and 8 months for raping his wife three times

A man from central Israel was sentenced on Sunday by the Central District Court in Lod to 11 years and eight months in prison after being convicted of raping his wife three times and attempting to rape her. He was found guilty of three counts of rape under aggravated circumstances and one attempted rape after a full evidentiary trial.

The court said he created a household ruled by fear and terror, threatened his partner, humiliated her, and physically and sexually abused her. Judges said they fully accepted the complainant’s testimony and found that he demanded sex without her consent, sometimes using threats and force while ignoring her pleas and suffering. In one described incident, he turned her around and told her that because she was his wife, he could have sex with her whenever he wanted.

The ruling stressed that a woman’s right to bodily autonomy does not diminish in marriage or in an intimate relationship. It said rape within a couple severely damages a woman’s sense of safety, causes betrayal and helplessness, and creates long-term psychological harm.

Prosecutor Attorney Tali Keret of the Central District Prosecutor’s Office said the crimes took place inside the home, which should be the safest place for a woman. She said he exploited the power imbalance, terrorized her repeatedly, and treated her as a tool for satisfying his distorted desires, while ignoring her will, dignity, and right to her body. The prosecution had asked for 15 years in prison. In addition to the prison term, which was imposed consecutively to a previous conviction, the court ordered him to pay the woman 70,000 shekels in compensation.