Jail for man who defiled 15-year-old boy

A 58-year-old man has been placed on the sex offenders register and jailed for five years after a court found him guilty of defiling a boy.

Joseph Haber from Gozo had met the 15-year-old boy at a place that cannot be named on court order, so as to avoid the identification of the victim.

In court, the teenager explained how the man had been stepping into the bathroom, naked, whenever he spotted the teen having a shower.

The sexual abuse came to light following a conversation between the boy and his mother. 

After befriending the boy and getting on closer terms with him, the man had requested the boy’s telephone number so as to keep in touch.

He had then called the boy, inviting him over to his house to show him his pet bird and a dog which he had mentioned to him.

It was during this visit, and two other visits that the accused had engaged in sexual acts with the boy.

The boy’s mother had informed the police, who then charged the man with defilement, holding the minor against his will, violent indecent assault and engaging in sexual acts with the boy.

In the course of proceedings, the teenage boy testified about the alleged events, and his testimony was corroborated by a number of other witnesses, including a social worker, police officers and three civilian witnesses.

Magistrate Joseph Mifsud, who was assigned the proceedings in 2015, concluded that all the accusations had been proven, except the charge of having held the victim against his will.

On the strength of the minor’s testimony, there was no doubt that the activity engaged by the accused had amounted to libidinous acts, the magistrate said. He ruled that defilement, violent indecent assault and the sexual acts with the minor had been proven.

The court found Haber guilty and condemned him to a five-year jail term and placing him under a three-year treatment order so as to address his sexual drive towards underage persons.

The court also issued a three-year protection order in favour of the victim, whilst ordering the accused’s name to be entered in the sex offenders register.

The publication of the name of the minor, his relatives and the place where the abuse took place were banned so as to avoid identification of the victim.