Ambulance driver at Frige trial: "Castleman was fully conscious during evacuation"
A prosecution witness testified that Yuval Castleman communicated with the medical team via body language and that the jacket found in the ambulance does not match the one he wore during the attack. Frige's defense team is calling for a case review, arguing that this testimony undermines the prosecution's central claims.
The trial of reservist Staff Sergeant (res.) Aviad Frige, accused of causing the death of Yuval Castleman, whom he mistakenly identified as a terrorist during an attack at the entrance to Jerusalem two and a half years ago, continues. On Sunday, ambulance driver Eran Patzki testified in military court.
According to Patzki, Castleman was evacuated from the scene alive and fully conscious. He testified that although Castleman could not speak due to a jaw injury, he communicated with the team using body language, pointing to his face when asked where he was in pain. This testimony aligns with other evidence and refutes claims that a "confirmation of death" was carried out at the scene.
During his testimony, Patzki recounted that after Castleman's evacuation, he found a jacket inside the ambulance. He stated that the crew did not know who it belonged to, suggesting that someone might have thrown it into the vehicle while they were loading another wounded person.
When shown security footage of Castleman during the evacuation, Patzki did not identify the garment as the jacket he found. He noted that the jacket in the footage appeared blue, whereas the one he found was black with a different pattern.
This testimony is significant regarding the Military Prosecution's case. The prosecution had argued that the lack of bullet holes in the examined jacket suggested Castleman was shot after removing it to signal he was not a terrorist.
Frige's defense attorneys argue that the jacket examined at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine does not belong to Castleman. "The MADA worker's testimony clarifies two essential facts: Castleman was evacuated alive and conscious, and the jacket examined in the lab belongs to an unknown person," the defense stated.
They argued that the prosecution's attempt to base conclusions on the absence of bullet holes in the "wrong" jacket is baseless. The defense has called on the Military Advocate General to reconsider the case, labeling the indictment a "grave injustice." They maintain that Frige acted in good faith in a combat zone, risked his life, and neutralized two terrorists, resulting in a tragic case of mistaken identity.
