Court hears of pensioner's rooftop over-exposure

A 62-year-old man was yesterday charged with exposing himself to his 60-year-old sister-in-law while on the roof.

The man, who cannot be named by court order, pleaded not guilty.

The woman was on the roof at about 10 a.m. on Tuesday when the accused allegedly exposed himself on the roof of his house. The two are neighbours.

The woman claimed the abuse had been going on for eight years but she never reported it because she did not want to cause any problems, Police Inspector Bernard Spiteri informed the court.

She even told the police he had exposed himself in front of her adult son but the latest alleged incident proved to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

The accused appeared in court in a white Emporio Armani T-shirt and grey shorts. He sat cross-armed in the dock as his lawyer, Chris Grima, asked the court to ban publication of his particulars.

Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna upheld the request "because the victim is a family member" and asked the public to leave the court room as he asked the inspector to give details about the incident, leaving only the press in the court room.

The magistrate granted the accused bail against a personal guarantee of €1,000 and ordered him not to communicate in any way with the woman and not to go on his roof.