Female principal of Australian school guilty of rape and sexual abuse – between 2003 and 2007 at an ultra-Orthodox school in Melbourne
Malka Leifer, the former principal of a Jewish girls’ school in Australia, has been found guilty of sexually abusing two of her students. The sisters, Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper, who have chosen to identify themselves in the media, were abused by Leifer between 2003 and 2007 at the Adass Israel School in Melbourne, where Leifer was head of religion and later principal. The court heard that Leifer had a sexual interest in teenage girls and took advantage of their vulnerability, ignorance in sexual matters, and her own position of authority. Leifer was convicted on 18 counts, including rape, and acquitted of nine charges, including five that related to another sister, Nicole Meyer.
The allegations first emerged in 2008 after Leifer had returned to her home country of Israel. She fought against extradition to Australia but was returned to Melbourne in 2021. Her trial began in February, and she pleaded not guilty to all 27 counts. The sisters had an isolated upbringing in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and received no sex education, the court heard. They were around 12, 14, and 16 when Leifer started teaching at the school in 2001. Leifer was alleged to have abused Nicole Meyer while they shared a bed at a school camp as Ms Erlich pretended to be asleep in the same room.
Ms Meyer told reporters outside court a guilty verdict was “all we’ve ever wanted”.