Man acquitted of defiling a minor demands compensation

The 54-year old man, who was recently acquitted of defiling a minor, today filed a judicial letter demanding compensation for damages sustained following the false report.

Following a disagreement with her family, who opposed her dating her boyfriend, the girl filed a report alleging that her mother’s partner had sexually abused her.

The girls claimed the abuse happened in 2006, when she lived with her mother lived at St Paul’s Bay and in Rabat, with her partner. At the same time the minor filed her report, the minor’s boyfriend called at Agenzija Appogg, claiming that her mother’s partner was hitting her. A day later, he dropped his claims but the allegations were still investigated.

The minor told investigators that she had been sexually abused by her mother’s partner since the age of nine. She said the man had passed lewd comments, touched her and made her touch him indecently. She also said he made her work at a bakery and would hit her if she did not help him. On the same day, her mother filed the same claim against the minor’s boyfriend.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli ruled that the allegations were the girl’s revenge on her mother and her partner for opposing her relationship. On 30 May 2014, Magistrate Demicoli ruled that the accused's version was more credible than that of the alleged victim and acquitted the man.

In his judicial letter, the man claimed that the allegation led to loss of business after his clients stopped going to his shop when they learnt about the court proceedings. He closed the shop and found employment elsewhere, but his employers learnt about the claims and he was fired. He is still unemployed.

Moreover he had to endure eight years of futile court proceedings based on a false report.

Lawyers Veronique Dalli and Dean Hili signed the judicial letter.