A court on Sunday sentenced Edward Kachura, a psychiatric nurse, to seven years in prison for the 2021 negligent homicide of an underage patient, whom he buried in sand and then left to suffocate to death.

The Haifa District Court in September cleared Kachura, 53, of murder, but convicted him of the lesser charge since he left 17-year-old Lital Yael Melnik alone after having helped her perform a “rebirth ceremony” in which she was buried entirely in sand with a pipe to breathe through.

In sentencing Kachura, the court said it was “emphasizing the severity” of his actions, because instead of acting as the “responsible adult,” he took part in the “rebirth ceremony” rather than stopping it, and left Melnik at least partially covered in sand without ensuring that she could survive the event.

In its sentencing, the court also emphasized the additional crimes it convicted Kachura of, including having abused his position as a psychiatric nurse to have an illicit sexual relationship with Melnik, and the fact that he “systematically violated” lower court orders prohibiting him from having contact with her.

Attorneys for the........

© The Times of Israel