Sentence in Zemora case: 14 years, 500,000 NIS compensation

Monday, July 16, 2018, 10:29 The Ofer Military Court handed down a 14-year prison sentence to the terrorist who stabbed and seriously injured Nirit Zemora on October 28, 2015, and also awarded 500,000 NIS in compensation to Zemora. The terrorist sat smiling as the verdict was read.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is assisting the family with legal counsel, stated that, “Just seeing the smile on the face of the terrorist as he heard the years of his prison sentence was enough to understand the extent of the failure [to hand down an appropriate verdict] and the lack of deterrence.”
Bleicher continued: “Subsequent to filing a reckoning of damages, compensation beyond standard criminal compensation was awarded. However the compensation still does not reflect actual damage. In previous rulings, the military court had the authority to award punitive damages, and therefore it is incomprehensible why the judges did not take the trouble to award compensation close to the extent of the damage according to the assessment of damages.”
At an earlier stage in the trial the terrorist was acquitted of attempted murder and convicted only of aggravated assault. The knife broke during the stabbing and according to the judges it is impossible to prove that the terrorist intended to murder.
During the course of the trial Bleicher filed a reckoning of the damages the terrorist caused to Zemora, the sum of which is approximately five million NIS. The reckoning includes injury, pain, suffering and punitive damages.