Framed over charges of defilement of minors

Carmen Grech had testified that Vassallo had been working for the Grech family for a long time as a farm-hand with her husband. She said Vassallo had told her he had loved her for the past eight years and that he had broken up with his girlfriend.

Grech testified that she had told him she was married with children and that she considered Vassallo as a brother. She chose not to tell her husband about all of this especially since he was his best friend.

She also said Vassallo kept on sending her vulgar text messages. Grech also testified that on another occasion he tried to brush off cobwebs from her shirt, she ran away because he had wanted her physically, at which point she started shouting for her nephew.

On another occasion Grech said she was having a shower and realised the accused was spying on her and making obscene gestures with his tongue. She further stated that when the accused started sending her messages that he wanted to rape her, she decided to tell her husband in the presence of her father, and he sacked Vassallo.

The court however considered Grech’s testimony questionable, noting that Grech was obsessed with herself with a sense of self-importance and power in attracting men.

When Vassallo rejected her sexual advances, she was scared he might have to disclose the reasons for the termination of his employment to the detriment of her marriage. Charmaine Gialanze, the accused's ex-girlfriend also added that Carmen Grech even used to dance in front of the accused on a table in shorts.

In addition it was considered that the children's testimony that Vassallo had defiled the daughter was not plausible and rehearsed. Furthermore all the text messages Carmen Grech claimed the accused had sent her were not found in her Inbox but in her Outbox, since she stated that she had remembered the messages and wrote them down after having deleted them.