The Jerusalem District Court Monday convicted Border Policeman David Ben Ayoun of theft by a public servant, an attempt to carry out a weapons deal, illegally carrying a weapon and breach of trust.
The conviction was given after a plea bargain was struck with the defendant.
According to the amended charge sheet, Ben Ayoun entered a Border Police base, went into a friend’s room and stole the friend’s M-16 assault rifle.
He then conspired with another person and the two hid the gun in an open field, with the intent of selling it for 28,000 shekels.
The charge sheet notes that Ben Ayoun stole an item that belongs to the State, carried a weapon without legal permission, tried to sell the weapon and breached the trust placed in him by the State. It appears that a previous charge of weapon theft was dropped as part of the plea bargain.
Plea bargains are a favored tool of the chronically overloaded Israeli court system. Conviction rates are exceedingly high and are usually estimated at 99 percent.