The Israeli father of a three-year-old toddler who was the victim of alleged physical abuse by Irina Rimer, a 53-year-old nurse at the Reuth Rehabilitation Center in Tel Aviv, sharply criticized the court’s decision to release her in an interview with Walla on Monday.
“How does the judge say that it’s enough to watch the video and then decide to release her?” the father said. “This is not only about collecting evidence or the documentation they have. You have to look at the severity of her actions. This is a scandal.”
According to him, his son was hospitalized in the ward while sedated and on a ventilator, when both of his legs were broken. “They took us for questioning and told us the nurse was under arrest, so why did they release her? Our child is helpless in a hospital, sedated and ventilated. What, are our lives worthless? She committed a very serious act.”
The father stressed that, in his view, this is not only a question of evidence but of the meaning of the act itself. “This is a helpless child whose two legs were broken. This is not a technical matter. I don’t understand how you see what was seen and decide to release her.”
The father also made it clear that the family intended to pursue civil action. “We will file a lawsuit against both the nurse and the hospital. The hospital is also to blame in this matter. We were told she has worked as a nurse for ten years. There is no such thing as a veteran nurse making a mistake like this. It is not logical that our child is helpless, and this is what happens to him in a place that is supposed to protect him.”
According to the father, they were told that security camera footage exists. “We were told there is a camera where you can see her grabbing him by the hair and lifting his legs in an improper way. I want to know what happened that day.”
He added, however, that he would leave the final determination to the court. “It could have been a mistake or not intentional, but the court will decide. I cannot process something like this. How does a nurse who has worked for ten years make such a mistake? There are no mistakes in things like this.”
At this stage, the family is waiting for the investigation to progress and for the prosecution to decide whether to indict the nurse. At the same time, they made clear that they will not let the matter go until they receive full answers regarding the circumstances of the incident and the responsibility of those involved.