Sexually obsessed woman ‘poisoned’ children’s minds

A woman “sexually obsessed” with her husband’s farm hand, who rejected her advances, was exposed as a liar after she instructed her children to falsely claim he had abused them.

The story was concocted after he decided to quit when her behaviour got too much for him, a magistrate said yesterday.

The woman, who is not being named to protect her children, had “poisoned” their minds with the abuse story out of fear he would reveal how she had thrown herself at him and caused him to leave the job, Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani said in a judgment.

The woman’s allegations led to the farm hand, Martin Vassallo, 35, of Senglea, being charged with defiling her children, a boy and girl both under the age of 12, holding them against their will and threatening all three of them five years ago.

The magistrate acquitted him noting the woman had concocted “pathetic fantasies” out of her obsession with herself and her imagined ability to attract men, besides being sexually obsessed with Mr Vassallo.

In her testimony, the woman claimed Mr Vassallo had tried to bed her numerous times and even walked in on her while she was showering and gestured with his tongue.

He also allegedly sent her vulgar SMSs.The magistrate said this was just another lie. Furthermore, her children were “primed” to testify against him as was evident from the fact that they used adult words to describe what had allegedly been done to them.

Magistrate Padovani said, although SMSs were found in the mobile, they were all in the outbox not in the inbox. The woman claimed she had remembered the contents of the messages and decided to save them on the mobile phone.

The court further noted the woman could simply not be believed, adding Mr Vassallo’s former girlfriend also testified that the woman had taken a liking to her boyfriend and would flirt with him.Mr Vassallo was acquitted of all charges.