State Appeals for Harsher Sentence for Convicted Ramat-Gan Elderly Robber Ziv Chen
The State Attorney's Office has appealed to the Supreme Court, seeking a harsher sentence for Ziv Chen, who was jailed for 35 months after violently robbing an 87-year-old woman in Ramat-Gan.
The State Attorney's Office filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on Monday, demanding a harsher sentence for Ziv Chen, who was convicted of the violent robbery of an 87-year-old woman in Ramat-Gan. The appeal follows a ruling by the Tel Aviv District Court, which sentenced Chen to 35 months in prison, alongside compensation and the activation of a suspended sentence.
Under a plea bargain, Chen admitted to spotting the elderly woman walking with a cane while wearing a gold necklace. He followed her, waited until the street was empty, forcefully yanked the necklace from her neck, and knocked her to the ground before fleeing. The victim sustained physical injuries, and her physical and mental health deteriorated significantly after the attack, leaving her with severe anxiety and fear.
The District Court Ruling
The Tel Aviv District Court initially sentenced Chen to 30 months in prison for the robbery, while also activating a prior 5-month suspended sentence, bringing his total prison term to 35 months. He was also ordered to pay the victim 5,000 shekels in compensation.
The Prosecution's Appeal
In the appeal, State Attorney representative Attorney Kasem Said argued that the sentence fails to reflect the gravity of Chen's deliberate choice to target an elderly, vulnerable woman. Said noted that Chen has ten prior convictions for property and violent offenses, and that he committed this robbery while on parole and subject to an active suspended sentence. The prosecution emphasized that robberies targeting the elderly demand severe and deterrent sentencing to protect the public and restore a sense of security for older citizens.
Ziv Chen, formerly known as Zaur Hankishayev, is widely known to the Israeli public from the Bar-Noor youth center murder case, where he served as a state witness until it was discovered that he had fabricated evidence against other suspects in the investigation.
