Three sisters who were allegedly abused by the former principal of an ultra-orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne have missed out on facing their accused abuser in court.
Dassi Erlich, and her sisters, Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper, travelled more than 13,000km for the court hearing in Israel, however a last-ditch ruling by the judge excused Malka Leifer from appearing on the grounds it could be detrimental to her mental health.
The alleged victims were still allowed to sit in court for the hearing, which was to determine whether Leifer is mentally fit enough to be extradited to Australia.
“It’s been very intense sitting in there,” Ms Erlich told 9News.
“Now we’re here and we see the ups and downs, and it’s incredibly difficult to watch that, and just hope and have faith that the judge will come to the right decision.”
The women could only listen and observe while a psychiatrist was questioned.
Read the report by Michael Best and watch the video on Channel Nine news.