Miss World's Rapist Convicted

An Israeli travel agent was convicted Wednesday of kidnapping and raping the reigning Miss World while the two were in Italy last year.

Tel Aviv District Court convicted Shlomo Uri Noor of assaulting Linor Abargil on Oct. 6, 1998, just two months before the Israeli woman was crowned Miss World. Sentencing will take place at a later date.

Noor has maintained his innocence, saying Abargil consented to sex. An immigrant from Egypt, Noor complained that he did not get a fair trial because he is Â"not 100 percent Israeli.Â"

He faces up to 30 years in prison. He said would appeal the conviction.

Abargil said that while she was in Milan last October to audition for modeling jobs, she went to Noor, who runs a travel agency there, for help in arranging a flight back to Israel.

She said Noor told her there were no flights from Milan to Israel and offered to drive her to Rome, where she could catch a plane. During the ride, Noor pulled off the highway and raped her at knifepoint.

Abargil has said she came forward because she wanted to encourage other rape victims to do the same.

Â"I want to scream out loud to every woman to complain, to tell the police. Don't be afraid,Â" Abargil said after the ruling. Â"Now I can get on with my life.Â"

The judges said Noor was a liar who had tried to mislead them with his strange behavior, such as bursting into tears or laughter unexpectedly.

Noor was arrested in Italy after Abargil filed a complaint, but he was released on bail and he returned to Israel in January. He was arrested by Israeli police, and an Israeli court decided it had jurisdiction in the case since Noor is an Israeli citizen.

By Sari Bashi
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