Teachers in defilement case 'no longer' serve in girls' schools

Neither a teacher found guilty of defiling a 16-year-old girl nor another who allegedly encouraged the abuse serve at any of the girls' secondary schools in Gozo, a Gozo Ministry spokesman said.

On Wednesday Magistrate Giovanni Grixti found Joseph Portelli, 48, of Marsalforn guilty of defiling the minor in September 1997. Mr Portelli was given a two-year jail term suspended for three years.

In a separate case, Magistrate Grixti jailed John Buttigieg, 42, of Qala for three years for defiling a 15-year-old girl and video taping sexual acts between them in May 1998. In both cases, the girls mentioned a certain Joe or Joseph Borg who they said taught at their school. In their testimony the girls indicated that this Mr Borg had encouraged the abuse.

The ministry spokesman explained that since 1997 and 1998, when the cases took place, the school attended by the two girls had closed down.

The spokesman insisted the two teachers mentioned in the two judgements - Mr Portelli and Mr Borg - do not teach at the girls' secondary school Agius de Soldanis, attended by over 80 per cent of young girls. Neither do they teach at the only other secondary school in Gozo - the Bishop's Conservatory.