Haaretz now reports that the defendant was first charged with forcible sexual assault which left the complainant traumatized, bruised and bleeding. The complainant testified at trial, but facts related to her personal background and history emerged, which cast doubts on the chances of conviction. The prosecution considered the consequences of forcing her to take the stand again, and decided instead to amend the charges as part of a plea agreement with the defendant. The story portrayed in the media was based on the amended version of the events which described consensual sex under false pretenses. The newspapers then pounced on the story of a man sentenced harshly for all the wrong reasons.

Or, how to hijack a thread in two easy steps.