Tel Aviv court extends suspect’s detention in dressing-room filming and rape probe
A Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court on Monday extended by four days the detention of 25-year-old Gur Levi, who is suspected of filming influencer Shir Weiss naked inside a fitting room at a Bershka store in the TLV Mall. Police say Levi faces suspicion of rape, privacy violations, photographing in a private place, publishing an humiliating image and sexual harassment. Judge Ravit Pelleg Bar-Dyan said the reasonable suspicion against him had strengthened since the previous hearing, except on the allegation of publishing the photo.
Police told the court that Levi admitted acts linked to privacy violations, did not give a real explanation for his behavior in the fitting rooms, and said he acted out of “momentary satisfaction.” Investigators said they had collected testimony, conducted a confrontation with one complainant and carried out additional questioning, all of which strengthened the evidence. They also said he could not say how many women he had peeped at or harassed.
On the rape allegation, police said Levi initially denied some claims, but changed his version on material points during the confrontation. They said he first tried to distance himself from drug use, then admitted using ketamine and cocaine, including in the bar restroom. They added that he first blamed the complainant for initiating drug use, later said the purchase and possession were mutual and partly his idea, and also shifted his account on alcohol, eventually admitting he initiated drinking at the apartment. He said he did not know whether the complainant was drunk and could not remember if she fell asleep, though he said she may have been dazed or unconscious.
Police also said evidence suggests Levi may have been involved in additional incidents, but no further complainants have been identified. They have not yet received all data from his seized phone, though they say images were already shown to him during questioning. Defense attorney Shir Aharonson argued he turned himself in after the case was publicized, did not try to contact witnesses or coordinate stories, has no criminal record and could be released to full house arrest. She said the key issue in the sex allegation is consent, not whether intercourse occurred, and noted that no date-rape drugs were found at his home and the complainant was not tested for such substances.
