Tel Aviv Court Sentences Man to 39 Months for Obsessive Stalking and Assault
A Tel Aviv court sentenced Yosef Hayak to 39 months in prison for obsessive harassment, making 1,589 calls in a month, and violently assaulting his ex-partner.
A Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court has sentenced a man to 39 months in prison following an unprecedented campaign of harassment and violence against his former partner. Judge Shamai Becker also ordered the defendant, Yosef Hayak, to pay 10,000 shekels in compensation to the victim.
The couple had been in a brief relationship lasting only a month and a half. Following the breakup, Hayak embarked on an obsessive and violent stalking campaign. According to the indictment, the peak occurred when the defendant made 1,589 phone calls to the victim within a single month, including 1,063 calls during five intense days.
Threats and Physical Assault
In addition to the overwhelming volume of calls, Hayak sent 45 text messages within a week. "Wait until everything reaches you, your real movie is about to start," he wrote, adding, "It won't help you, I'm locked on target, I'm a pitbull remember?"
The violence eventually spilled over into the victim's apartment. Hayak arrived at her home, searched her mobile phone, and accused her of infidelity. When she asked him to leave, he threatened her directly, shouting that she was finished if she called the police. As she attempted to lock herself in the bedroom, he pursued her, banged on the door, grabbed her hair, pulled her arms, and snatched her phone as she tried to call for help.
"I live in fear to this day. It is hard for me day-to-day, hard to interact and maintain relationships," the victim testified in court, revealing that she suffered a nervous breakdown and lost her job of nearly ten years due to the trauma.
Severe Criminal Record and Sentencing
Prosecutors demanded a four-year prison term, citing the defendant's 11 previous convictions, mostly for domestic violence against former partners. The defense requested a sentence of up to 18 months, arguing that Hayak had taken responsibility and needed rehabilitation.
Judge Becker convicted Hayak based on his confession of threats, assault of a partner, and harassment via telecommunication. "The amended indictment unfolds a true horror scenario for any woman," Judge Becker wrote in the verdict, emphasizing the severe psychological, functional, and financial damage inflicted on the victim.
