Remember The Ħamrun Teacher Sex Abuse Case? Here’s Where It’s At
A male teacher who was arrested and suspended from a Ħamrun school following shocking allegations of sexual abuse has not yet been charged with any crime.
The 32-year-old teacher was arrested two months ago after a mother publicised claims by her 14-year-old daughter that he abused her and coaxed some of her male peers to do the same. More reports of abuse surfaced immediately after the story broke.
Speaking to Lovin Malta, the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) praised the police for the way the investigation was being conducted.
“The MUT is thankful and appreciative that the police officers concerned are doing a serious investigation and have not prosecuted before this investigation is over, as in other cases in the past. As predicted by the MUT on the day when the news broke out, the situation is unclear and much more complex than what initial reports in the media seemed to indicate,” a spokesman for MUT said.
“As predicted by the MUT on the day when the news broke out, the situation is unclear and much more complex than what initial reports in the media seemed to indicate.”
The teacher’s union also confirmed that the suspect was still suspended but had been given “clerical duties” within the Directorate for Educational Services until the results of the investigation were known.
“The MUT is following the situation at this school very closely and has put forward a list of recommendations, both short and long term,” the spokesman added. Among these recommendations is a proposal to “take care of students who are disinterested in schooling”.
“The Union will be monitoring the situation as soon as schools reopen after the Christmas recess and will be taking any action necessary to protect its members at the workplace,” the union said.
In a recording published on Newsbook.com.mt the mother of the alleged victim said her daughter stood up to go outside, when the teacher and three boys began to push her around and shoved her into a corner.
“They tried to strip off my daughter’s clothes and abuse her sexually. One of them was trying to press his penis against my daughter’s face,” she said.
Three students were also suspended from the school, including one who was known to the police for being caught driving without a license on several occasions.
When the story initially broke, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo (pictured above) had said the children must be protected immediately. But he also called for a “sense of balance” and urged the public to wait for proper investigations to be carried out.