Malka Leifer has for the first time faced an Australian court charged with sexually abusing three sisters while principal of an ultra-Orthodox Melbourne school.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Leifer sat with her head in her hands and did not speak as she appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with 74 offences including rape and indecent assault against former students.
It was the 54-year-old's first court appearance in Australia. She arrived in the country the previous evening following a years-long battle to extradite her from Israel.
The former Adass Israel School principal faces 47 indecent assault charges and 13 of committing an indecent act with a child.
She's also accused of 11 counts of rape and three of sexually penetrating a child. All charges stem from between January 2004 and March 2008.
The abuse allegedly occurred in the Melbourne suburbs of Elsternwick, where the school is based, Elwood, Emerald and Frankston, as well as Rawson in west Gippsland and Blampied in the Central Highlands, court documents say.
Lawyer Tony Hargreaves said Leifer had significant mental health issues requiring various types of medication.
He also said North Melbourne Police Station, from where she appeared via video link, did not had the resources she needed and asked she be transferred to a prison as soon as possible.
Mr Hargreaves added Leifer, who wore a headscarf, had strict religious beliefs and special custody arrangements were needed to ensure she could comply with them.
She did not respond when asked by magistrate Johanna Metcalf if she could see and hear the court.
Custody officials in the room with Leifer confirmed the audio-visual link was working.
The hearing was conducted virtually because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Leifer left Melbourne for Israel in 2008. She was charged by Australian authorities in 2012 and first arrested by Israeli authorities in 2014.
She was later found to be feigning mental illness and in December lost an appeal in Israel's Supreme Court against her extradition.
Her accusers - sisters Dassi Erlich, Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper - were in September granted a Melbourne Magistrates Court order allowing them to keep speaking publicly about their case and under their real names.
They tuned into the hearing.
Leifer did not apply for bail. She must complete 14 days' quarantine and has been remanded in custody to reappear on April 9 for a committal mention.
Australian Associated Press
