Malka Leifer, an Israeli citizen serving a 15-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting two students, has been captured on video attacking another prisoner at the Melbourne facility where she is incarcerated. Australian media reports indicate the incident occurred last month under the watch of security cameras positioned throughout the prison corridor.
Reports describe Leifer forcibly kissing her victim, who struggled to break free during the prolonged attack lasting several minutes. The assault victim, Samantha Azpardi, is a 36-year-old Aboriginal Australian currently serving a two-year sentence for fraud related to false claims of being a rape and human trafficking victim. Fellow inmates informed the media that the two women had maintained a prior relationship that deteriorated into conflict.
Leifer, who has eight children, remains confined to a secure prison wing with restricted privileges, including only 20 minutes daily for outdoor exercise or common area access. Despite her incarceration, prison authorities have granted Leifer certain accommodations within the secure facility, including permission to bake traditional challah bread and maintain a microwave in her cell.
The convicted rapist was found guilty of sexually assaulting students Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper during the period from 2007 to 2014, while they attended the educational institution under her management in Melbourne. Following the accusations, Leifer escaped to Israel, where prominent ultra-Orthodox community leaders provided protection and vigorously contested her extradition to Australia. She was ultimately extradited in 2021 and subsequently convicted on rape charges.
