TEL AVIV (May 17) - Defense lawyer Moshe Meroz told the Tel Aviv District Court yesterday that the first prosecution witness in the trial of Shlomo Gur, accused of raping Miss World Linor Abergil, was biased in favor of Abergil

Ofira Ben-Oved's testimony is unreliable, Meroz declared as he finished questioning her. His client is accused of raping and kidnapping Abergil in Italy eight months ago.

Ben-Oved, who is originally from Netanya and has been living in Rome for the past few years, was the first witness to testify.

She assisted Miss World Linor Abergil on October 7, 1998, the day after Nur, who runs a travel agency in Milan, allegedly raped Abergil, who had been in Milan working as a model.

Ben-Oved told the court that a mutual friend called her early that morning from Israel and told her that Abergil had been attacked in Milan and was then on her way to Rome.

The friend asked her to meet Abergil at the train station and help her, Ben-Oved said.

Ben-Oved and her fiance met Abergil at the train station around noon and remained with her until she boarded a plane to Israel late that night.

Ben-Oved escorted Abergil to the police and hospital and translated for her.

Meroz disputed several details in Ben-Oved's account of the day and implied that she had tried to conceal information in order to assist Abergil, with whom she has become very close.

Ben-Oved said they told police in Rome that Abergil had been at Nur's apartment shortly before he attacked her, but the police had not put this in the report.

Meroz suggested that Ben-Oved and Abergil concealed this information until they learned that Abergil's visit to Nur's apartment was a key part of the defense.

Nur said that after asking him to help her obtain a plane ticket back to Israel, Abergil came to his apartment, disrobed, and sat on his lap before having consensual sex with him.