Jerusalem Court Acquits Man in Nun Assault, Cites Psychotic State

The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court ruled on Wednesday that Yona Schreiber, accused three months ago of assaulting a nun in Jerusalem, was in a psychotic state during the incident and therefore not responsible for his actions. The court accepted the opinion of the district psychiatrist and acquitted Schreiber, ordering his hospitalization for psychiatric treatment.

Schreiber, 36, from Peduel, was indicted in May for attacking a Christian nun near the Tomb of David. According to the indictment, Schreiber noticed the nun in her religious attire, chased her, pushed her forcefully to the ground, and kicked her while she was down. A passerby who tried to intervene was also assaulted with punches and kicks.

Defense attorney Idan Gamlielli, representing Schreiber through the public defender's office, stated that the district psychiatrist determined the incident was a result of Schreiber's mental illness and that he requires inpatient psychiatric care. Gamlielli expressed hope that the treatment would help Schreiber regain optimal functioning and acknowledged the victim's difficult feelings, wishing her recovery from the incident's aftermath.

In a related note, two Jewish teenagers were arrested on suspicion of spitting on a 75-year-old Christian clergyman in Jerusalem, and a suspect was detained for gluing the lock of a café in the city’s alleyway.