Zoltan Gregus, Hungarian actor charged with indecent assault against a 12-year-old Israeli girl, was acquitted in Magistrate’s Court here today on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence on which to base a conviction.
The Hungarian Government, in a series of protests and the expulsion of three Israeli diplomats from Budapest, had charged that the actor was “framed” by the Israeli authorities. The Foreign Ministry declined comment today on the Gregus acquittal.
In releasing the defendant, Magistrate M. Ben Tal said that he believed the girl, but that since this was a charge of indecent assault it would require corroborative evidence to support her story. The girl had accused Gregus of rape, but the Israeli prosecutor had taken the case into court on the lesser charge.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.