Jailed for rape

A 53-year-old man was yesterday jailed for eight years for regularly raping two girls over a period of five years starting from when they were 10 and 11 years old.

David Buttigieg, of Mellieha, was also found guilty of defiling the girls, holding them against their will and offending public morals.

Magistrate Abigail Lofaro ruled that Buttigieg had abused the girls' parents' trust in such a way as to ruin the girls' lives by abusing them regularly inside a house and in a car.

She augured Buttigieg would utilise the time in jail to reflect on his actions in the hope he would regret his behaviour and never again repeat it.

The magistrate recommended he be given all the psychiatric help necessary to overcome his problem if he consented.

Police Inspectors Louise Vella and Martin Sammut prosecuted.