A well-known activist for the far-right Lehava organization is currently under investigation for sexually assaulting an underage female volunteer, N12 reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, the incident happened around 10 months ago when the girl asked the man for help with an issue on her computer.
"He took care of [the computer issue], and told me 'You smell nice.' I ignored it," she told N12.
"Fifteen minutes later, there was another problem with the computer, and this time he already started to touch me: leg, hands, back, face. I froze. He kissed me on the forehead and I said, 'Stop, stop, I'm not comfortable.'
He stopped and replied 'I'm sorry. I do not know what came over me.''
She told N12 that "Later that evening, it happened again and he touched me in the same places. Again I said to him, 'Stop, enough,' and he replied, 'I did not mean to hurt you. The instinct has taken over me."
Members of the organization who were made aware of the crime and wanted to bring it forward to parties inside Lehava claim that, at the time, "Ayala Ben-Gvir shut us down, arguing that [publicizing] it would hurt her [the girl's] shidduch prospects."
Ayala Ben-Gvir insisted to N12 that "from the moment I was made aware of the situation I advised that she go to the police. However, she was nervous to do so, and didn't want to go public, so I respected her wishes."
The first time a complaint had been filed in any official capacity was when it reached the police.
Though Lehava claims that the suspect had been banned from nearing the organization's premises, eye witnesses told N12 that they had seen him after the incident took place.