Man who attacked nun on CCTV in Jerusalem acquitted on grounds of mental health

An Israeli court has acquitted a Jewish man who attacked a nun in Jerusalem, in an incident caught on CCTV which drew widespread condemnation.

Jerusalem Magistrates Court said Yona Schreiber was experiencing a psychotic episode when he pushed over and kicked the French nun in the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem in April. It ruled that he was not criminally responsible for his actions and ordered him to be sent to a psychiatric hospital for up to six years.

Video of the attack caused outrage, and deepened concerns after a rise in harassment of Christian clergy and pilgrims by Jewish extremists in the Old City.

The victim, who hit her head on a stone block, suffered a bruised face and leg.

Schreiber, 36, had been charged with assault motivated by hostility towards a religious group.

According to the district psychiatrist’s report, Schreiber “was in a psychotic state at the time of the act and is not substantively fit to stand trial”.

The prosecution accepted the psychiatrist’s opinion and asked for Schreiber to be acquitted and committed to hospital.

Judge Ofir Tishler said that although Schrieber had attacked the nun, he was ordering his acquittal due to his mental health.

At the time of the attack, the French Consulate in Jerusalem said it strongly condemned Schreiber’s “aggression”.

The director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School, where the nun is a researcher, called the assault an “act of sectarian violence”.