Żurrieq Man Charged With Molesting 9-Year-Old Step-Granddaughter
A 42-year-old man from Żurrieq has been charged with molesting a young girl he is related to.
The man, whose identity has not been made public in order to protect the victim’s identity was said to have sexually abused the child on three occasions, resulting in her suffering severe psychological trauma.
The man was brought before magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo this afternoon and charged with committing non-consensual sexual acts on a minor he had a duty of care for.
If found guilty, the man could face a prison term of up to seven years. He pleaded not guilty.
Testifying in court in relation to the man’s request for bail, his wife – the victim’s grandmother – told the court that the child had never shown any fear of spending time with the accused.
She told the court that she had visited a child psychologist with the child, with the psychologist telling the mother that the child had said that “something may have happened” without mentioning any names or going into any further detail.
The prosecution, which is being led by Inspector Joseph Busuttil, objected to bail, given, Busuttil said, that there were real fears that he could tamper with evidence since the victim hadn’t yet been heard by the court.
Busuttil said he was prepared to call all of the prosecution’s witnesses to testify in the first sitting in order for the bail to be granted after that.
The defence’s request for bail was denied, despite arguments to the contrary.
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