Since the death of Ahuvia Sandak, z”l, who was tragically killed in a police car chase on Tevet 6 5781/ December 21, 2020, Honenu has been representing those who are insisting on the investigation of the incident and defending the many who are detained while demonstrating for change in police behavior. The car Ahuvia was in with four other boys overturned when the police car collided with it from behind. Please click here for a list of posts connected to the case.
Wednesday, March 29, 2023, 16:21 The Jerusalem Magistrates Juvenile Court acquitted a youth who was detained approximately two years ago on suspicion of throwing rocks at a police car during a demonstration protesting the death of Ahuvia Sandak, z”l. Honenu Attorney Moshe Poleski, who is representing the youth, waged a legal battle and proved that the testimony of the municipal inspector on which the indictment was based was rife with contradictions, and therefore was not proof that the accused was one of the youths who took part in the incident. The inspector worked in the service of the police and testified that the detained youth was the one who had thrown the rocks.
Following Sandak’s death in December 2020, right-wing activists held many demonstrations in Jerusalem during which rocks were sometimes thrown at police cars. In response, the police placed cars to act as bait near the String Bridge in Jerusalem. During the demonstration in question, several youths threw rocks at a parked police car. Police officers at the site chased the youths and caught and detained one of them. The detained youth was put on trial for attempted aggravated assault of a police officer, disturbing a public servant in the line of duty, and malicious vehicular vandalism.
During the court hearings on the case, Honenu Attorney Poleski proved that the testimony of the inspector on which the Office of the State Attorney was basing the accusations was rife with contradictions. The inspector claimed that he definitely identified the youth as the one who had thrown rocks at the police car, and therefore the police detained him after the chase. Poleski presented a video clip from security cameras at the site to the court that proves that the inspector’s testimony does not correspond to what actually happened. Poleski also emphasized the contradictions in the testimony itself and the lack of logic in the inspector’s statements to the court. There were also discrepancies in the inspector’s testimony regarding the description of the clothes that the suspect was wearing and the accuracy of his description was problematic.
Honenu Attorney Moshe Poleski welcomed the court’s decision and stated, “We are pleased with the court’s decision and can only regret the conduct of the State Attorney’s Office. Even before the indictment was filed in the framework of the pre-trial proceedings, I met with representatives of the State Attorney’s Office. I pointed out to them the many flaws in the inspector’s testimony, both due to the internal contradictions, and also because of the lack of logic with regard to the circumstances of apprehending the suspect. Nevertheless, the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office decided to indict of serious charges a minor without a prior criminal record. Only after a legal battle, the court accepted our claims and acquitted the defendant.”