Public transport chief accused of defilement

The president of the Public Transport Association was yesterday banned from transporting minors after he was charged with defilement and participating in sexual acts with a 15-year-old girl. Victor Spiteri, 48, had been arraigned on Friday and remanded...

The president of the Public Transport Association was yesterday banned from transporting minors after he was charged with defilement and participating in sexual acts with a 15-year-old girl.

Victor Spiteri, 48, had been arraigned on Friday and remanded in custody, pleading not guilty.

Magistrate Antonio Mizzi had banned the publication of his name because the main witnesses had not yet been heard.

Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani heard the witnesses yesterday behind closed doors while the girl gave her testimony via video conference, after which the ban on publication was lifted. Mr Spiteri is pleading not guilty to defiling a minor, participating in sexual acts with her, indecently assaulting the girl and offending public morals.

Magistrate Padovani granted him bail against a personal guarantee of €9,000 and a deposit of €1,000. He was also ordered not to pick up or drop off children as part of his work.

Police Inspector Raymond Aquilina prosecuted.

Lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Charmaine Cherrett appeared for Mr Spiteri.

Lawyers Gianella Caruana Curran and Joseph Giglio appeared parte civile.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.