The former principal of an ultra-orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs has been charged with dozens of sexual assault and rape offences against students between 2003 and 2007.
Opening arguments in the criminal trial of Malka Leifer, who led the Adass Israel school in Elsternwick, begin in the Victorian county court on Wednesday after a jury was empanelled this week.
An indictment released by the judge, Mark Gamble, reveals the allegations in 29 charges against Leifer, 56, which range from inappropriately touching students without consent to raping them.
Leifer has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to the indictment, the alleged offences occurred inside her office at the school, in other school rooms, at her home in Elsternwick and at other locations in Emerald and Elwood.
Police also allege Leifer raped an unnamed person at school camps in the regional Victorian towns of Blampied and Rawson.
According to the indictment, Leifer is accused of raping an unnamed person during the first night at camp at Blampied in June 2006 while she was aware they were “not consenting or might not be consenting”. She is also accused of committing the same offence “during the day at camp”.
Police allege that on the “last night of winter camp in year 11” at Rawson in 2004, Leifer took part in “an act of sexual penetration with” an unnamed person who was “a 16 or 17 year old child to whom she was not married and was under her care, supervision or authority”.
On 26 May 2005 Leifer is accused of sexually penetrating a 16- or 17-year-old child in Elsternwick when the unnamed person “stayed back from the school excursion”.
Leifer is also accused of indecent sexual assault in the library of the school in 2005 and at her home “during school hours” in the same year.
Police also allege Leifer raped an unnamed person in 2006 after she arranged for them to “sleep over after kallah”, which is a class on the basics of Jewish marital etiquette.
Leifer has also been charged with raping an unnamed person in 2006 who was sleeping at her home in Elsternwick while there was a baby in the room.
During the same year, Leifer is accused of two counts of rape in the office at school.
Police allege that in December 2006 at Elsternwick, Leifer “wilfully committed an indecent act with or in the presence” of an unnamed person who was “a 16 or 17 year old child to whom she was not married and was under her care, supervision or authority”.
In December 2007 Leifer is accused of raping an unnamed person who had come to tidy her home in Elsternwick.
The trial is expected to last more than a month. The court will be closed to the public when a complainant gives evidence later this week.
• In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International
