Israeli to face trial on 70 sex abuse charges in Australia

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A former school principal who was extradited from Israel after a six-year legal battle was ordered to stand trial on 70 charges of child sex abuse. Malka Leifer, 55, pleaded not guilty to all the charges at the end of a court hearing. The committal hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates Court was held to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial. Leifer is accused of carrying out the abuse against sisters Dassi Erlich, Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper when Leifer was head of Melbourne’s Adass Israel School between 2004 and 2008. The judge, Magistrate Johanna Metcalf, said she believed the evidence was of sufficient weight to support a conviction. The next hearing will be on Oct. 21.