Advertisement

Frenchman charged over death of Israeli woman

Ben McPartland
Ben McPartland - [email protected]
Frenchman charged over death of Israeli woman
Friends and relatives of Lee Zeitouni (portrait), 25, who was killed in a hit and run incident with French drivers, protest on streets of Haifa. Photo: Jack Guez/AFP

A French driver whose vehicle was involved in the hit-and-run death of an Israeli woman has been charged with manslaughter, a judicial source told AFP on Tuesday. France had refused to extradite the man to face trial in Israel.

Advertisement

French authorities on Tuesday charged the driver of a vehicle involved in the hit-and-run death of an Israeli woman in Tel Aviv two years ago, a judicial source said.

Eric Robic was charged with aggravated manslaughter and not providing aid to a person in distress, after French prosecutors opened a probe into the case last year, the source said.

Lee Zeitouni, 25, was hit by a speeding car on a Tel Aviv street in September 2011 and left to die. Robic and a fellow Frenchman, Claude Khayat, fled to France after the accident.

The case caused widespread outrage in Israel and prompted calls for the two men to be extradited to stand trial.

Robic is facing up to 10 years in prison and a 150,000 euro ($198,000) fine if convicted. He has been banned from leaving France and driving pending his trial.

Khayat has been called to appear before court on Thursday.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also