Palestinian suspected of rape: I reported to station and was turned away
Rape suspect from West Bank claims he was turned away from two police stations he reported to clear his name, and told he wasn't needed for investigation
The man from the West Bank was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at a school in the southern city of Ashdod two months ago.
The suspect denied all accusations and said that he reported to a nearby police station the minute he learned of suspicions against him, in order to clear his name.
He further said that in the Hebron and Gush Etzion police stations that he reported to, he was told that he isn't wanted for any kind of questioning.
Following the arrest Tuesday, a police statement said that it "launched an immediate investigation which led us to believe the suspect was hiding in the territories of the Palestinian Authority".
"We’d taken a variety of actions to locate the suspect, including requesting assistance from other security forces … The investigation is still in its initial stages and we will continue taking the necessary actions in order to get to the truth,” the police added.
"I've never seen a suspect who tries to turn himself in so many times and no one takes any notice," said the man's lawyer. "For weeks we've been trying to understand why he is needed for questioning and we keep being turned down, until yesterday they decid to arrest him."
"This is a Palestinian man who legally worked in Israel and has no criminal record, neither with Israeli or Palestinian law," the lawyer concluded.
