Man charged with defiling five-year-old stepson despite social workers recommending no action

A 42-year-old man has been granted bail after being charged with defiling his partner’s five-year-old son.

The man, whose name is subject to a reporting ban, appeared in court before Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, was charged with corruption of a minor aggravated by the fact that the alleged victim is under 12 years of age and his relationship with the victim. 

He was additionally charged with repeatedly committing non-consensual acts of a sexual nature on a minor who resided with him and subjecting the child to unwanted acts of physical intimacy.

The man has denied the charges with his lawyers claiming the report filed against their client was done maliciously.

Inspector Kylie Borg explained that charges had to be issued because the police report had been filed before the conclusion of a Foundation for Social Welfare Services report, which recommended no action.

The defendant’s lawyer, Albert Zerafa, told the court that the allegations had been dreamt up by the defendant’s partner’s ex-husband, who he said, was jealous of the fact that the woman had moved on and his son had since established a good relationship with the accused. 

Zerafa explained that the accused’s partner and her ex-husband had been through a hostile divorce with their son being caught in the middle.

The accused also had children of his own, who had never given reason to suspect any impropriety on his part, the lawyer argued.

He added that the allegations had also been the subject of an investigation by social services, concluded in August, which had not recommended any action. Zerafa pointed out that the boy and his mother still lived with the accused.

The court upheld the defence’s request for bail, against a €5,000 deposit and a €10,000 personal guarantee, also imposing the condition that the child resides with his biological father until the case is decided.

The court imposed a ban on the publication of the names of the involved parties.

Prosecutor Sean Azzopardi and Inspectors Kylie Borg and Brian Xuereb led the prosecution.

Lawyers Albert Zerafa and Joey Reno Vella were defence counsel.