A man indicted on allegations of rape and impregnating his partner was cleared of all charges on Sunday after the woman forgave him and withdrew her claims.

The Somali woman had filed a report against her partner, who is also from Somalia, accusing him of raping her. Later on, in court, she decided to withdraw her claims.

“I want to live a happy life with him… I want to be with him and the baby as a family. Our families resolved the issue and we will get married. I forgive him and forget these proceedings,” she testified whilst in court.

During the hearing, the woman declared that she met him in November, at the Marsa open centre. They decided to go on a date – and after going out for dinner at Marsaxlokk, the two went for a drive to Delimara in his car, with him being a registered cab driver.

She made it clear that she wanted to get married before having sex after he made some intimate advancements on that first date.

Nonetheless, he persuaded her into having sex and told her that they will get married after they have sex – three weeks later, she fell pregnant.

They moved in together, and after sleeping alone for the first two nights, they started sharing a bed and partaking in intercourse. She moved out six days later.

The report she filed on Saturday stated that she did not consent to have sex and that she had been raped. She also claims that she found messages on his phone with other women.

In court, the man pleaded not guilty.

The woman then retracted her statements on Sunday. She was questioned by Magistrate Rachel Montebello, who asked her whether she’s scared that he’ll do anything else to her, but the woman continued by saying that she wants the relationship and to raise a family with him.

“No, I am not afraid of this. I came here after I thought of everything. I understand that I cannot raise these allegations again,” she said through an interpreter.

The court continued pressing her on the issue, warning her of any potential consequences of retracting her statement, but she remained firm. The man was then acquitted of all charges.

Lawyers Cynthia Tomsaulo and Sean Gabriel Azzopardi from the Attorney General’s office were the prosecutors along with Police Inspector Joseph Busuttil. Lawyers Franco Debono and Francesca Zarb acted as defense counsels.

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