Carmel Mauda in court
Carmel Mauda in courtצילום: Flash90

The operator of a daycare center in central Israel who was convicted of abusing nearly a dozen infants and toddlers was sentenced Thursday to nine-and-a-half years in prison.

Carmel Mauda, 28, the operator of the ‘Baby Love’ daycare center in Rosh Ha’ayin, received the sentence at the Central District in Lod Thursday afternoon, after arriving accompanied by her father.

In addition to the prison sentence, Mauda was ordered to pay the parents of her victims 400,000 shekels ($122,000).

Outside of the courtroom dozens of parents held a demonstration under the banner “Justice For the Children”, demanding the court impose the harshest sentence possible.

Mauda was convicted in December 2020 for abusing eleven infants and toddlers who had been placed in the care of the Baby Love center.

In April, she apologized to the parents and children, saying: "I am ashamed of every action that I did, I am ashamed of myself. I live it every single day. It's something that I live day and night, it will remain with me my entire life."

She also apologized to the audience in the court, saying: "I request that the honorable judge take me into consideration, what I have been through, not just the deeds that I did. I hope they forgive me. I wish everyone well."

In response, the parents said that they will never forgive her, and that there is no forgiveness for what she did.

"Everything you have said here, you said because you are afraid of punishment," they said.