Criminal9/7/2026

State Attorney’s Office Seeks Harsher Sentence for Robbery of 87-Year-Old Woman

The State Attorney’s Office appealed to the Supreme Court against the sentence imposed on Ziv Chen for the violent robbery of an elderly woman in Ramat Gan. He is to serve 35 months in prison, but the state believes that this term and the compensation awarded to the victim do not reflect the severity of the offense and its consequences.

Key facts

•Convicted offender: Ziv Chen, 38
•Offense: May 31, 2025, Ramat Gan
•Sentence imposed: 35 months in prison
•Compensation: 5,000 shekels
•Value of the chain: approximately 3,500 shekels
•The case number and the date the appeal was filed are not stated in the source

How the Robbery Occurred

On May 31, 2025, Ziv Chen, 38, noticed an 87-year-old woman walking slowly with the aid of a cane at 83 Bialik Street in Ramat Gan. After making sure that no one was nearby, he approached her from behind and forcibly ripped a gold chain with a pendant, worth approximately 3,500 shekels, from her neck. The woman fell to the ground, was injured, and suffered pain, while Chen fled; passersby helped her get up.

The District Court’s Sentence

Chen admitted the facts of the amended indictment as part of a plea agreement. The court rejected the defense’s claim that the assault was spontaneous and set a sentencing range of 24 to 40 months in prison, although the State Attorney’s Office had requested a range of 42 to 66 months. Chen was sentenced to 30 months in prison, and a previous suspended sentence was also partially activated: five months were added to the new sentence, while another five months were ordered to be served concurrently with it. The total prison term was 35 months; in addition, a 12-month suspended sentence and compensation of 5,000 shekels to the victim were imposed.

Why the State Is Demanding a Harsher Sentence

According to the State Attorney’s Office, Chen has ten prior convictions, mainly for violent and property offenses, and has served more than 13 years in prison in total. He was previously convicted of a similar theft of a chain from the neck of an elderly woman, and he committed the new offense while on parole and while a suspended prison sentence was pending against him. The state also notes that the maximum sentence for robbery is 14 years in prison, whereas the sentence imposed is less than one-fifth of that period. The prosecution’s position is that, as a rule, an activated suspended prison sentence should be added consecutively to the new sentence, while concurrent service is the exception.

The Impact on the Victim and the Status of the Appeal

According to the report concerning the victim, after the assault the woman, who had previously been independent, became afraid to leave her home without an escort, remains in bed more often because of pain and mobility limitations, and experiences helplessness and anxiety. The jewelry had not only material value but also personal value: the woman brought it from Iraq. The State Attorney’s Office believes that compensation of 5,000 shekels does not reflect the physical and psychological consequences of the assault. The Supreme Court has not yet decided whether to leave the sentence unchanged or increase it; the outcome of the proceeding is not stated in the source.

What this means for you

The appeal shows that sentencing takes into account not only the value of the stolen property and the direct injuries, but also the victim’s age, her loss of independence, prior convictions, and the commission of the offense while on parole. The Supreme Court may also examine whether it was justified to order that part of the activated suspended prison sentence be served concurrently with the new sentence. Until a decision is issued in the appeal, the sentence is not considered to have been increased.

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Case analysis based on court rulings