The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Sunday extended by three days the detention of Tel Aviv elementary school teacher, Yotam Okon, who is suspected of committing sexual offenses against a 12-year-old student.
Okon was arrested two weeks ago following a complaint made by the mother of one of the 37-year-old teacher's alleged victims.
Since the arrest, police have found that he had conducted numerous sexual conversations with his 12-year-old student on WhatsApp, and had asked her for explicit photographs and videos over the messaging app as well.
Okon has admitted to sending the messages unearthed in the investigation, but is claiming through his lawyers, Idan Shani and Sassi Gez, that he did not do anything other than send them.
Judge Christina Hilu-Assad agreed with the police claim that there was a "reasonable suspicion" of sexual encounters between the two as well.
The school was also apparently previously made aware of inappropriate behavior on the part of the teacher, as educational staff were approached on four separate occasions, Kan reported Thursday.
Okon worked as a science teacher in a Tel Aviv school and was removed from his position several months ago after the school administration received the initial complaint against him.
During the detention extension hearing, it became clear that police suspect the teacher also sexually abused another student, following testimony she collected from Okon's students in the past two weeks.
The judge ruled that "there is an indication that this is not an isolated case."
Testimony from Okon's former students circulated on TikTok, stating, among other things, that he "gave 'special treatment'" to certain students and "behaved strangely and disturbingly."