Former Melbourne principal accused of child abuse to remain in custody

Former Melbourne school principal Malka Leifer will remain in custody until an Israeli Supreme Court judge considers an appeal to stop her being released to home detention.

On Wednesday, the Jerusalem district court ruled that Ms Leifer could be released from police custody on Friday March 9 at 10.00am, after influential Israeli Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman argued it was “humiliating” and bad for her mental health to stay in jail.

The former principal of the ultra-orthodox Addas girls school in Melbourne has been in custody since February 12 when Israeli police rearrested the 54-year-old, accusing her of faking mental illness for the past three years in order to avoid extradition to Australia.

Ms Leifer is wanted by Victorian police on 74 charges of child sexual abuse, including rape.

On Thursday afternoon in the Israel Supreme Court, Israeli state attorney Matan Atikva argued Ms Leifer’s release to home arrest could harm the chance of her appearing at future extradition proceedings.

Read the article in The New Daily.