portrait shot of Dassi

Alleged victims welcome news child sex accused Malka Leifer could be extradited

Alleged victims of former Melbourne principal Malka Leifer have welcomed news she could potentially be extradited to Australia to face child sex abuse charges.

Ms Leifer, the former head of the Adass Israel School in Melbourne, is wanted on 74 child sexual abuse charges in Australia, and on Tuesday Jerusalem’s chief psychiatrist recommended she is fit to face an extradition hearing.

The Australian-Israeli has been in a women’s prison in Israel since February, accused of abusing girls at the Adass Israel ultra-orthodox Jewish girls’ school in Melbourne more than a decade ago.

Alleged victim Dassi Erlich has been riding a roller-coaster of emotions as she watches the legal proceedings from afar.

“Fighting for justice and having this in my life every single day is something that has obviously affected me and my family and everyone around me,” she told SBS News.

Following this week’s findings, an Israeli court has given Ms Leifer’s lawyers until November to present more evidence.

Leifer’s legal team said it would contest the reports when the case returns to the court for a hearing on November 14.

Read the article by Gareth Boreham and watch the SBS TV News clip.