Woman Jumps Into Valletta Sea To Escape 20-Year-Old Rapist
A woman was forced to jump into the sea near Valletta in the early hours to escape an alleged aggressor.
20-year-old construction worker Qasem Saleh, from Syria, has been charged with trying to rape the woman, with police relaying what happened at around 2.45am Tuesday morning near the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta in front of Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia.
The victim called the police to report that she had just been physically and sexually assaulted. When police arrived at the scene, they found the victim in the sea, with the accused waiting for her on shore.
The accused and the victim were dating at the time.
Saleh’s lawyer Mario Mifsud did not ask for bail, but requested that his client be kept in the juvenile section, which the court allowed.
A protection order was also issued in favour of the woman.
Inspectors John Spiteri and Kevin Pulis led the prosecution. Sean Azzopardi appeared for the Attorney General’s office.
Cover photo: Andrea Biffi
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