Extradited teacher appears in Australia court on sex charges thetelegraph.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thetelegraph.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Wearing a headscarf, she sat with her head in her hands during the 20-minute hearing where the 74 charges against her were read in court for the first time. She did not respond when Magistrate Johanna Metcalf asked if she could see and hear the proceedings.
Guards in the room with Leifer confirmed that the audio-visual link was working.
She previously has maintained her innocence against accusations of sexually abusing several former students at a Jewish school in Melbourne.
The 74 charges include 11 of rape and three of sexually penetrating a child. There were also 47 counts of indecent assault and 13 of committing an indecent act with a child. It was not immediately clear what the maximum penalty would be that she could face.
Former school principal, 54, has first hearing after 6-year battle against transfer from Israel; lawyer requests special conditions to facilitate her religious observance
Extradited teacher appears in Australia court on sex charges
January 28, 2021 GMT
FILE - This Feb. 27, 2018, file photo, Israeli-born Australian Malka Leifer, right, is brought to a courtroom in Jerusalem. The former teacher extradited from Israel after a six-year legal battle appeared in an Australian court Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, to face child sex abuse charges.(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean, File)
FILE - This Feb. 27, 2018, file photo, Israeli-born Australian Malka Leifer, right, is brought to a courtroom in Jerusalem. The former teacher extradited from Israel after a six-year legal battle appeared in an Australian court Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, to face child sex abuse charges.(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean, File)