State Seeks 17-Year Prison Term for Convicted Physician Menachem Alkalai
Prosecutors requested 17 years in prison for Prof. Menachem Alkalai, convicted of 10 counts of rape by deception against nine patients. His defense asked for a lesser, single-digit sentence.
The prosecution requested a sentence of at least 17 years in prison for Prof. Menachem Alkalai during a court hearing on Wednesday. Alkalai was previously convicted of 10 counts of rape by deception involving nine patients. His defense attorney, Lior Epstein, urged the court to avoid a double-digit prison term.
Conviction and Prosecution Arguments
Alkalai was convicted following a full evidentiary hearing. According to the verdict, the offenses were committed during medical examinations or treatments under the guise of standard medical procedures. The court determined that Alkalai abused his professional status and authority as a physician to carry out the acts.
During the sentencing arguments, prosecutor Meital Mor emphasized the extreme severity of the case, pointing to the high number of offenses, the predatory method used, and the defendant's position of trust. Victim impact statements from seven of the nine complainants were submitted to the court, detailing profound psychological damage, a shattered sense of security, and a severe breach of trust in the medical system.
"Those male doctors are not responsible for the defendant's actions, but they certainly may bear the consequences of the defendant's actions," the prosecution argued, highlighting the broader societal fallout on trust between patients and physicians.
The state asked the court to set a sentencing range of 15 to 20 years and impose compensation amounting to hundreds of thousands of shekels for each of the victims.
Defense Plea and Defendant's Final Statement
In response, defense counsel Lior Epstein asked the court to hand down a sentence of under 10 years. He cited the lengthy legal proceedings, noting that the case has been active since 2013, and asked the judges to consider Alkalai's personal circumstances.
"I call upon your honors to impose a structured sentence in a way that will allow the defendant to serve it and return to his life, to his children, to his grandchildren," Epstein stated, clarifying that he is not advocating for Alkalai to resume his medical career.
Addressing the court in his final statement, Alkalai noted that he has not practiced medicine or earned an income for five years, adding that his life's work has been destroyed. Referring to the victims, he said: "I heard the women who testified here and the pain in their words; I do not minimize it, I do not wish to bargain with this pain, and I grieve for their pain." He asked the judges to show mercy and take into account his four decades of prior medical contributions.
