Jailed for raping 10-year-old girl

A 61-year-old man was jailed for nine years after a court found him guilty of raping and physically abusing a 10-year-old girl in 2003.

The man, who cannot be named by court order to protect the victim, was charged with raping and abusing the girl while on a suspended sentence.

The man was the partner of the girl's mother, with whom he has two children.

A social worker from Appoġġ said the girl had phoned Helpline and spoke to her headmistress about the abuse she had been suffering at home. She was subsequently removed from her mother's house and taken to a Home.

Testifying, the girl gave a very graphic and disturbing account of what had happened to her over a period of four years.

Aged four the accused had come to live with her family. The first time she was abused was when she was six. At first, he would call her names and hurt her.

He then started touching her and the frequency of the abuse increased reaching a peak of six times a week. The girl said she had told her mother what was going on but it seemed that she didn't care and instead believed her partner.

The girl said she would tell the accused she did not want to do what he wanted her to but was threatened that he would beat her if she refused.

The man admitted in court to viewing pornographic films in the girl's presence and that he had her touch him while watching the films. He did throw things at her, like, say, a mug but he never meant to hurt her.

The court ruled that the prosecution had proven well beyond reasonable doubt that the accused was guilty of the crime he was charged with. He was, therefore, found guilty of raping the girl, corrupting her and committing a crime within the operative period of a suspended sentence.

He was acquitted of the charge of holding her against her will.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli took into consideration the fact that in 2003 the accused had been given a two-year jail term suspended for four years on being found guilty of theft. He was jailed for nine years, including the twoyear suspended jail term which became effective.

Police Inspectors Louise Calleja and Kevin Farrugia prosecuted.