Youths convicted of rape, sexual assault, blackmail, to appeal prison convictions

At least four out of 14 youngsters, who last Wednesday were handed prison sentences for rape, defilement of minors, violent indecent assault, blackmail, extortion, and theft are set to appeal their convictions.

The youngsters, aged between 15 and 20, together with a 16-year-old girl, were sentenced by Magistrate Doreen Clarke after eight years of hearing evidence from 16 girls, all minors - including a disabled 12-year-old - who claimed to have been forced to have sex with friends from their own clique.

The only girl among the accused was convicted for acting like a 'queen bee', luring almost all the girls to have sex with boys, and exposing them to pornographic videos. She was jailed for 18 months.

Two of the boys were jailed for two years, two others were jailed for 18 months, another for 12 months, and another for nine months.

One of the boys had a six-month jail term suspended for two years, and another had a one-year jail term suspended for two years.

Three boys were sentenced to a nine-month jail term suspended for two years. Another was jailed for six months, suspended for two years.

The accused and their victims were all part of a gang from Marsascala which spent the time roaming the streets during their summer holidays in 2003 and 2004.

The acts took place inside an empty apartment block known as Ta' Monita, while other acts happened in the home of one of the accused, and in cars.

The accused were also convicted of extortion after it was established that they had forced their victims to pay hundreds of Liri in top-up cards, hand over their mobile phones and report them as stolen.

If they didn't pay up,  the victims were threatened that their parents would be informed that they had engaged in sexual acts.

The cases were revealed by one of the victims, a girl, who told her father who filed a police report. 

Speaking to MaltaToday under anonymity, a father to one of the victims expressed satisfaction at the convictions, but stressed that he expected tougher sentences.

"My daughter has been scarred for life," the father claimed, adding that it was quite an ordeal for his daughter having to endure eight years of proceedings and testify against friends.

Eight years on since the crimes were committed, the youths have since grown older, with some enrolling at the University or graduating from MCAST.

The convicted girl has had a baby, and is set to appeal her 18-month jail term.

Meanwhile, all 14 convicted of the crimes are not expected to be put on the Sex Offenders Register, despite their victims being all minors.

In effect since last January, an entry into the Child Offenders' Register remains entirely at the discretion of judges and magistrates.

According to the law, offenders' names are placed on the register at the court's discretion after an accused is found guilty of specific child-related crimes, which include defilement, rape, sex with minors, child abduction, prostitution, pornography, trafficking in minors, harassment and neglect.

Moreover, the courts have discretion to order a person convicted of other crimes to be listed if they feel there is a threat to children.

Over the past nine years, almost 70 people were charged in court to face child pornography charges alone.