Fisherman charged with daughter's rape
Bail denied after he tried to visit daughter in hospital
A Marsaxlokk fisherman, charged with regularly raping his 25-year-old daughter, was yesterday denied bail after a magistrate heard he had tried to visit her in hospital.
The 43-year-old man, whose name is not being published to protect his daughter's identity, pleaded not guilty to regularly raping her on and before Tuesday.
He also pleaded not guilty to holding her against her will to compel her to submit to injurious treatment and subjecting her to bodily harm or threatening her with death and relapsing.
Magistrate Abigail Lofaro turned down the defendant's request for bail after hearing Inspector Joseph Agius, prosecuting, explain he had released the defendant from arrest for about eight hours to give him time to bring his fishing vessel ashore. But the defendant had gone to visit his daughter in hospital instead, despite being warned he was not to approach her.
Inspector Sharon Tanti, also prosecuting, explained that the defendant managed to get into the hospital's gynaecology ward because he told the staff he was his daughter's uncle but "thank God", the inspector added, she was at the hospital at the time and did not allow him to speak to the daughter.
Inspector Tanti said the defendant told her he had gone to hospital because he wanted to apologise to his daughter for what he had done to her.
The defendant was remanded in custody.
The court banned publication of the girl's name.