Two men today were charged with a string of sexual offences against underage girls, with the most serious being the rape of a 12-year-old girl. The girls had gone missing from a children's institute, the court heard.
Fayiz Alkatib, 41, of Ħamrun, faces the rape charge. He was also charged with corrupting the girl, and participating in sexual activities with her and another girl, 13.
He was further charged with committing violent indecent assault on the girls.
Mustafa al Hmeidi, 23, from Marsa, a refugee who works in construction, was charged with participating in sexual activities with a minor and attempted violent indecent assault.
He was also accused of participating in sexual activities with the 12-year-old, assisting her escape from the children's institute and breaching the conditions of a previous suspended sentence.
The 12-year-old had told police officers that she had been living with Alkatib and had a sexual relationship with him.
But the prosecution pointed out that, according to the law, penetrative sex with children aged 12 or under is presumed as rape.
The men, who were arraigned separately, pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against them.
Inspector John Spiteri, prosecuting, urged the court to refuse bail in both cases, saying there was a risk that the Syrian men would approach the girls again.
The girls, he added, often ran away from the home. They were vulnerable witnesses, he told the court, particularly because they did not have any parents or family.
Magistrate Doreen Clarke, presiding over the arraignments, denied bail to both men.
The court also imposed a ban on the publication of the girls' names and the name of the children's home involved.
Lawyers Noel Bartolo and Jason Grima appeared for the accused.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2x0poil
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment