Jerusalem - The appalling tale behind the tearful smiles of Ms Linor Abargil (19), the Israeli model who was crowned Miss World two months ago, was revealed yesterday by her lawyer in a Tel Aviv court, David Horovitz reports.
Just weeks before the Miss World finals in the Seychelles, according to a statement read out by Ms Abargil's lawyer, she was raped at knifepoint, then tied up and almost murdered. She fought off her attacker, the statement said, and he eventually released her on condition she would not go to the police.
The courts lifted a ban on publicising the rape allegations because the alleged rapist, Shlomo Nur (43), was arrested at Ben-Gurion Airport five days ago and is now to be indicted.
Miss Abargil said in her statement that she was publicising her ordeal in the hope that this might encourage other rape victims to come forward. The statement dismissed suggestions that the Miss World competition organisers knew of the incident, and awarded the crown out of sympathy.