A man living in Santa Venera has pleaded not guilty to assaulting and raping a woman in an act that left the alleged victim so traumatised she can barely speak as she recovers with visible bite marks on her face and breasts.

33-year-old Syrian man Ebrahem Hamood pleaded not guilty to assaulting and raping the victim, holding her against her will, causing an injury of a grievous nature as well as carrying a knife without the appropriate licence at a later date.

The horrific incident occurred on 19th June.

Around 2.30am, the woman, who is French, has a physical disability and works in Malta, was walking home after attending an event in Paceville. As she was walking near the Pender Gardens area on the outskirts of Paceville, a man in a pick-up van pulled up besides her and offered her a ride home.

She accepted – however, instead of taking her home to Swieqi, he took her to a quiet area in Pembroke, and locked the doors when she asked him to stop.

The woman tried to flee, but the aggressor reportedly grabbed her by her hair, punched her and bit her face. He then proceeded to take her clothes off and rape her, before fleeing the area in his van.

Defence lawyer Roberta Bonello did not request bail for her client, but asked the court for a ban on the publication of the accused’s name due to it possibly harming his work life. However, the court denied the request.

Lawyer Charles Mercieca, standing in for the victim, said that the young woman had been “traumatised” by what happened.

Inspector Dorianne Tabone, leading the case, said that on 19th June the woman had appeared at the St Julian’s Police Station to report the incident. The accused’s van was eventually identified through CCTV footage the police obtained from the Pembroke area.

She noted that the victim still had visible bite marks on her face as well as purple marks on her chest, and was barely speaking to anyone anymore.