Taxi driver denies threatening partner and her teenage daughter

A 44-year-old taxi driver has been released on bail after pleading not guilty to threatening his partner's 17-year-old daughter and carrying a knife in his car.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke was told how the man had lost his temper at his partner's teenage daughter's repeated defiance of her parent.

The girl, who is understood to have been receiving psychiatric care, would often spend nights out partying into the small hours, against the wishes of her parent.

The situation boiled over when, during a heated argument between the rebellious teenager and the two adults, the man allegedly threatened the girl with a kitchen knife.

Whilst the girl was not found to have been injured in the incident, police reported furniture had been broken and a fixed line telephone damaged.

A search in the accused's car returned a knife.

However, Lawyer Toni Abela told the court that his client was insisting that his partner's underage daughter's prolonged absences were due to her being kidnapped by someone who was selling her into prostitution.

He repeatedly told the court that this person was advertising the girl on Facebook as delivering sexual services.

Inspector Azzopardi did not deny this was the case, telling the court that the vice squad had been informed and were investigating separately. She suggested a protection order be issued.

But Abela insisted that the girl did not need protection from the accused, but "from the person who is enslaving her."

"I’ve been arraigned for having a knife and the man who has been spending nights with a 16 year old girl has not,” protested the stepfather.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke granted the accused bail against a €200 deposit and a personal guarantee of €2,000.

The court ordered the accused no to approach or communicate with his partner or the girl until they had testified-an order strongly objected to by Abela, who argued that the man could hardly be expected to not speak to his partner until the case was heard.

The court, however said that irrespective of her traditional relationship with the accused, the woman was a prosecution witness and procedure had to be followed.