Six years ago, distraught and frustrated parents of a six-year-old boy with autism and Down Syndrome reported a case of alleged abuse to the police after hearing that their son was allegedly being mistreated by his LSE.

However, the magisterial inquiry into this case remains open to this day and the parents have been left waiting for some kind of official response to their report.

Rebecca Bonello and Neil Crossey reached out to Lovin Malta after deciding that enough was enough. They’ve spent years waiting on the conclusion of this case for closure and understanding of what their child, who is non-verbal, has gone through.

They filed a report after being told by a student teacher that their son was subjected to verbal and physical abuse by his LSE, who had been working with him for around three years and whom his parents considered a friend.

Upon hearing this news in 2017, they were shocked and they quickly went to file a police report.

It is important to note that, speaking to the Ministry of Education, Lovin Malta was told that an investigation by the educational authorities into the case found no wrongdoing. 

However, according to the young boy’s parents, they were never informed of this finding and during said investigation, the LSE was allegedly still permitted to work in a school.

Lovin Malta asked the ministry to confirm whether or not she was suspended during the duration of the investigation to which the ministry decided not to comment.

Nonetheless, during all of this, a magisterial inquiry was opened and police investigations ensued, as per the usual procedure. However, to this day, this inquiry remains open-ended.

This case goes to show the agonising wait that some people have to endure to see their cases closed. In fact, Malta’s justice system is known for being extremely slow and somewhat inefficient – unfortunately, this case helps prove it.

Moreover, it implies systemic issues wherein there are not enough resources for magistrates, inspectors, and court officials to act promptly and efficiently in every, or at least most, cases they’re handed.

Since the inquiry hasn’t been concluded, Neil and Rebecca do not have an answer to this case – they do not know if the LSE is guilty or not, and so, they cannot take action against the parties involved or put this difficult chapter of their life to bed.

Rebecca, the young boy’s mother, expressed sheer disappointment at the way these abuse cases, especially of disabled children, are handled. Arguing that authorities do not place enough importance on these situations, even though a lot of these children do not have voices to speak, fight, and report mistreatment for themselves.

To tackle this latter issue, both Rebecca and Neil urged schools to install CCTV cameras in classrooms. They argued that it would make such investigations a lot easier, especially, as mentioned above, due to certain verbal or learning disabilities, some children may be physically unable to tell their parents about the abuse, bullying, or any hardship they may be going through at school. 

When asked about its thoughts on the installation of cameras in class, the ministry chose not to comment.

Lovin Malta has reached out to the courts for a comment from the magistrate in question.