Malka Leifer faces first court hearing in Australia over child sex abuse charges after extradition from Israel

Malka Leifer has made her first appearance in an Australian court, as child sexual abuse charges against the former school principal were formally presented.

The Bail and Remand Court in Melbourne heard the 54-year-old would face 74 charges of child sexual abuse.

Ms Leifer, who was extradited from Israel and arrived at Tullamarine Airport about 9:00pm on Wednesday, faced the court in Melbourne via video link.

She is undergoing a 14-day quarantine at an undisclosed location.

Her lawyer, Tony Hargreaves, said there were “significant mental health issues for Ms Leifer for which she required a number of different types of medication”.

“The prison authorities are, or should be aware, that Ms Leifer has very strict religious beliefs so special…