Judge found dead in apparent suicide in Jerusalem

Judge found dead in apparent suicide in Jerusalem

2011-02-09 06:30:30 GMT+7 (ICT)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (BNO NEWS) -- A judge on Tuesday evening was found dead in Jerusalem in what appeared to be a suicide, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Jerusalem Magistrate Court judge, Maurice Benatar was found dead by a relative at his home in Modiin. The judge was found with a plastic bag covering his head and a suicide note nearby.

The letter found by Benatar's wife read that he decided to kill himself as he could not handle his heavy work load, among other reasons. Emergency teams were rushed to the scene but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

Police officers also arrived at the Modiin residence in order to analyze the scene and to gather evidence. According to preliminary reports, no sign of foul play has been found so far.

Judge Benatar was born in Rhodesia, currently known as Zimbabwe, in 1956 and immigrated to Israel in 1975. There, he graduated from law school in 1981. He was appointed as a Magistrate Court Judge in 2002.

The Justice Ministry said that Benatar had been facing difficulties with the demanding workload for some time. The judge was also reprimanded for these issues as well.

Benatar recently was summoned to a meeting about his work performance by Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch and Court Administration head Judge Moshe Gal.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-02-09