Jerusalem Magistrate Court Judge Gioia Skappa-Shapiro leveled strong criticism at the Department of Nationalist Crime in the Central Unit of the Shomron & Yehuda (Shai) Police for their conduct involving the extension of a detained minor’s remand and in light of their conduct refused to extend the remand of a detained minor in a different case.

During a deliberation on the case of a minor detained on suspicion of involvement with an altercation with Arab shepherds, it became apparent that the police had not carried out the investigatory procedures for which the minor’s remand was extended. Judge Gioia Skappa-Shapiro strongly criticized the police and wrote that, “This conduct raises doubt about the level of seriousness with which the court should relate to declarations by the police concerning investigatory procedures for which remand extensions are necessary.”

Judge Skappa-Shapiro released the minor and at a deliberation on Thursday, 19 Teves on a different case of a detained minor, refused to acquiesce to a request by the Yehuda and Shomron Police to extend his remand in light of their conduct in the aforementioned case.

Judge Skappa-Shapiro wrote that among other reasons, she will not fully grant a request by the police because, “In another case in which similar investigatory procedures were requested by the same investigating unit, it became clear after the remand was extended that the investigatory procedures were not carried out and there was no acceptable reason for this.”

The minor in the second case is a 15-year-old youth who was detained on Wednesday, 18 Teves on suspicion of involvement with several “price tag” incidents in the Binyamin region. He was released to house arrest on Monday, 23 TEves after the court ruled that there is insufficient cause to keep him in remand.

Honenu Attorney David HaLevi, who represented the first minor, said in Kislev that he hopes that the police will internalize the strong criticism. “Scandalous conduct by the police has become routine. The police arrived at court to demand a remand extension for a minor and announced that they would carry out investigatory procedures. After the fact it became apparent that the police had misrepresented themselves in court in order to justify the remand and that none of the procedures had been carried out. I am pleased that the court strongly criticized this conduct and ordered the release of my client. This decision speaks for itself, and it would be worthwhile for the investigating authorities to fully internalize the criticism which the court directed at them.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)