Former Melbourne school principal Malka Leifer has been found guilty of child sexual abuse and rape charges following a trial in Victoria's County Court.
The jury found Leifer guilty of 18 sexual offences, including rape, indecent assault and sexual penetration of a 16 or 17-year-old. She was found not guilty of nine charges.
Leifer stood in the court dock as the verdicts were announced one-by-one to the courtroom.
Her face was expressionless during the first five verdicts, which were not guilty. She had no visible reaction as the tide turned, with nearly all of the remaining charges being announced as guilty.
Shortly after the verdicts were finalised, Leifer was led away to the cells and the judge thanked the jury for their service.
The complainants in the case are three sisters — Nicole Meyer, Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper — who alleged Leifer sexually abused them when they were teenagers.
The former principal of the Adass Israel School in Melbourne's south-east pleaded not guilty to all 27 charges against her.
It was alleged Leifer had sexually abused the sisters in secret between 2003 and 2007.
Jurors found Leifer guilty of several offences relating to Ms Erlich and Ms Sapper and not guilty of any charges relating to Ms Meyer.
Jurors heard six weeks' worth of evidence from police, psychiatrists, school staff and the sisters themselves.
The charges against Leifer comprised rape (10), indecent assault (10), penetration of a 16 or 17-year-old child (3), indecent act with a 16 or 17-year-old child (3) and one count of compelled rape, where prosecutors alleged she forced one of the complainants to perform a sex act on her.
Outside court, the sisters stood together as they welcomed the guilty verdicts they had sought for years.
"Her abuse has held us hostage for so many years and Malka Leifer is a sexual abuser, she is, we can say [it]," Ms Erlich said.
"Her abuse has held us hostage for so long … today we can start to take that power back that she stole from us as children."
Ms Sapper said Monday marked the day "the truth prevailed" as she urged other survivors of abuse to stay strong.
"For so many years we had doubt this day would come," Ms Sapper said.
"We sat, waiting, hoping, for years and to finally be here today and hear those words, 'guilty' … there are no words really."
Guilty verdict after years-long extradition battle
With the trial now over, the ABC can report that Leifer flew to Israel in 2008, shortly after allegations against her were first raised.
The former principal was brought back to Australia in 2021 following a lengthy extradition process.
Earlier in the trial, Leifer was acquitted of two counts of an indecent act with a 16 or 17-year-old child, because the laws used to charge her came into effect after the alleged offending occurred.
During the trial, jurors were told Leifer was a well-respected figure both at the school and within the ultra-Orthodox Adass Israel community in the early 2000s.
Allegations first came to light in late 2007 or early 2008, when Ms Erlich disclosed information to a social worker in Israel.
In the months and years that followed, Ms Erlich's two sisters also came forward with claims Leifer had sexually abused them.
The three sisters alleged the offending took place on school grounds, in locked staff offices, on school camps and at Leifer's home.
None of the witnesses, outside of the sisters themselves, testified seeing the alleged abuse take place.
Crown lawyer Justin Lewis argued his clients were credible witnesses, who had given "lengthy and detailed accounts".
Leifer was not called to give evidence during the trial.
Leifer's legal team argued their client did not commit any wrongdoing and that the sisters had made up the allegations, which later "grew like wildfire".
Judge Mark Gamble will sentence Leifer at a later date.
In a statement, Adass Israel School principal Aaron Strasser apologised to the survivors of Leifer's abuse.
"We are sorry for the distress they have suffered and the impact of that abuse on their lives and families," he said.
"We commend the survivors' bravery in coming forward."
In a statement, Victoria Police said detectives from the Sano Taskforce investigated a number of people connected to the school in relation to potential further offences.
Victoria Police said it was determined that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with any charges.
