Killer of teen at gay pride parade sentenced to life in jail

A Jerusalem court has sentenced to life in prison a radical ultra-Orthodox Israeli Jew who fatally stabbed a teenage girl at a gay pride parade last year.

Jerusalem's District Court sentenced Yishai Schlissel Sunday to life plus 31 years for last year's attack, which killed 16-year-old Shira Banki and wounded seven other people. He was previously convicted of murder and attempted murder. Schlissel was also sentenced to pay damages of NIS 2,064,000 ($531,100).

Schlissel underwent psychiatric evaluation and has been deemed mentally sound and fit to stand trial. He has repeatedly refused any legal counsel, claiming he does not recognize the court's authority as it does not abide by Jewish law.

"The accused did not learn from the legal proceedings against him 10 years ago and from the long time he served in prison. He returned and he committed these crimes with an ideology of hate," said prosecutor Oshrat Shoham.

The court Judges also criticized the police for failing to prevent a crime committed by a man who was released from prison just three weeks before the parade, after serving a 10-year sentence for committing almost the exact crime at the 2005 Gay Pride Parade.

Schlissel was on a list of six potential violent attackers about which police were notified before the parade. Still, no steps were taken to monitor him, leaving him free to embark on a killing spree.

Jerusalem, known for its rich religious history and tradition, holds a modest gay pride parade annually in contrast to the large parade in the nearby liberal city of Tel Aviv, which this year drew more than 200,000 people.