A 54-year-old man is now in custody at a north London police station on
suspicion of sexual assault and perverting the course of justice (obstruction of justice, witness tampering, etc.). While none of the arrested men have been
identified by police, according to sources in London's haredi community it appears
the 54-year-old is Rabbi Chaim Halpern, the prominent haredi rabbi
accused of using his unlicensed marriage counseling practice to seduce
and sometimes sexually abuse married women. Halpern also alleged did the
same to single women and teenage girls.
Rabbi Chaim Halpern Arrested For Sexual Assault And Obstruction Of Justice, 3 Others Including Halpern's Brother Arrested For Obstruction, Intimidating Witnesses
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
British police arrested four men today in the Barnet section of London, the JC reported.
The arrests are reportedly connected to investigations into sexual assault and “perverting the course of justice” (obstruction of justice in US legal terminology) related to those assaults.
A 54-year-old man is now in custody at a north London police station on suspicion of both crimes.
While none of the arrested men have been identified, according to sources in London's haredi community and a new report on the Israeli haredi website Behadrei Haredim, the 54-year-old is Rabbi Chaim Halpern, the prominent haredi rabbi accused of using his unlicensed marriage counseling practice to seduce and sometimes sexually abuse married women. Halpern also alleged did the same to single women and teenage girls.
Three other men – aged 62, 64 and 25, one of them Halpern's brother David and another a senior member of Shomrim (the haredi communty's watch group) – were arrested for allegedly perverting the course of justice with regard to the first man’s case by intimidating and bribing witnesses, possible extortion and even violence.
Supporters of Rabbi Chaim Halpern allegedly threatened, harassed and assaulted members of the haredi community who tried to publicize Halpern’s alleged crimes or involve police, and Halpern went to court to try out the blogger IfYouTickleUs, who broke much of news of the Halpern scandal (and whose work was repeatedly stolen by the Times of Israel).
The haredi umbrella organization the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations (UOHC) allegedly tried to cover up Halpern's alleged crimes, as well, and its chief rabbi, Ephraim Padwa, was recently recorded on undercover video telling a victim of child sexual abuse not to call police or do anything to involve police or cooperate with police because doing so would be mesirah, informing – a serious violation of Orthodox and haredi Jewish law.
Police also reportedly searched files belonging to Halpern and searched or seized his computers.
More arrests may be forthcoming.