‘Girl’s rape claim wiped out six years of my life’
‘I cried every day, I felt completely lost, it was a very black period’
The sexual dare between an 18-year-old woman and three young men took place in a property along this street in Senglea. Photo: Jason Borg
Released from the noose of gang rape allegations that suffocated six years of his life, Rhys Fiteni feels as if he has won the lottery and his eyes still well up when he recalls the court verdict – not guilty.
“This woman wiped out six years of my life, but I refuse to let her rob me of the rest of my life,” the 26-year-old from Senglea told The Sunday Times.
Last Tuesday, six years to the day from when an 18-year-old girl turned up at a police station claiming she was gang raped, Mr Fiteni, Keith Bartolo and Ronald Barbara were cleared of the charges.
In a 113-page judgment, Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera found the woman had actually bragged about her sexual prowess and told the young men she could handle all three in bed; a challenge they took up.
From the testimony of various witnesses – and forensic evidence revealing no signs of violent conduct – the court ruled the girl was never forced into doing anything against her will.
Reflecting on that Sunday afternoon in April 2006, Mr Fiteni, who was represented in court by lawyer Joe Giglio, said it all started as a joke while they were taking a stroll along the Senglea promenade.
“I’m not proud of what I did but it’s not every day a girl issues such a challenge.
“I was 20 years old and foolish and while what I did wasn’t right, it wasn’t wrong either,” he said.
Mr Fiteni was having a few drinks at a bar next to the sea when the girl – whom he had met just three times before and whose name was never released by the court – passed by with her cousin, Mr Bartolo.
Mr Fiteni accompanied them and eventually Mr Barbara joined the small group. The conversation was heavy with sexual innuendos, and the girl, who had just fought with her 33-year-old boyfriend, said she could handle all three of them. And they took up the dare.
All four headed to an old property belonging to Mr Fiteni’s grandmother and the three men thought nothing more of it. Except the next day a policeman knocked on their doors and threw their lives into disarray.
“I was terrified. I had no idea what the policeman wanted until we got to the station. Fear engulfed me,” Mr Fiteni said, nervously rubbing his hands.
All three have always protested their innocence, but the charges were serious. They spent two nights under arrest in a police cell, followed by three weeks in prison.
“The prison guard warned us not to mention we were in for rape, but somehow the inmates got to know and wanted to kill us.
“In the first week I was too scared to leave the cell,” he added.
After they were released, the men spent an agonising three months under house arrest.
“It was worse than prison. At home I felt like a bird in an open cage, but unable to fly out,” Mr Fiteni said.
A top regatta rower with Senglea, he spent that first summer in the balcony staring longingly at the children swimming across the bay. On certain days the TV and Playstation were his only companions.
As the days passed he plunged into a dark hole, and resorted to tranquilisers to cope.
“I cried every day. I felt completely lost. It was a very black period,” he said, pulling out a tattered scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel from around his neck, which his grandmother had given him during this difficult time. “I will never take it off!”
When his bail conditions were eased, he was so scarred it took him about two years to pluck up the courage to date a girl.
“I started imagining that women who saw me in the street were crossing the road for fear I’d rape them,” he said.
The rape accusation hung over his head for years, and when he started dating his current girlfriend, Amy, two months ago, he told her everything from the outset so that she could hear it from him first-hand.
Amy, who stood by his side throughout the interview, fiercely came to his defence, and recounted the arguments she had with her family when they learnt who she was dating.
Mr Fiteni calmed her down and said: “It’s only natural for your family to feel this way. If it was my sister I’d do the same.”
The allegations have not only ruined his reputation but the pending court case also robbed him of his dream to become a soldier.
Holding down a job was not easy, and the only thing that saved him during these six years was the regatta where he spent his days venting his frustration, in turn winning numerous trophies and shields for Senglea.
“I don’t blame people thinking what they did.
“Who would believe an 18-year-old girl challenged three boys to have sex?
“It was an unusual case, which made things harder,” he said, trying to reason things out.
During many sleepless nights, he decided he would never let hatred erode his soul.
“I’m focusing on the positive side. I refuse to let anger get the best of me as it will lead to nasty situations. This is the end of the story for me,” he said, adding he will not be pursuing the matter in court or taking action against the girl.
“Now I’ll start a new life. This is a different Rhys. I have the regatta, I have Amy... I just want to lead a normal life. I’m not seeking anything special; I just want to be happy.”
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73 Comments
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Kate Smith
Apr 17th 2012, 09:17
Poor man. Women like this make a mockery of REAL rape victims. What happened to this girl? She needs to be punished by the courts for destroying these men's lives.
I think he was foolish at the time, but a young boy with 'it' being offered on a plate is hardly going to turn down the offer, so I don't think he or the other two men, can be entirely blamed for their actions, especially given their age. It's not the first time that a man has succumbed to a manipulative and cruel women and it most certainly wont be the last.
Chris Mifsud
Apr 16th 2012, 10:34
There is a lesson to be learned here. Why is it that when a woman cries rape she is automatically believed ?
Shouldn't there be some sort of reasonable proof before arresting the suspects ?
Why were the names of the accused mentioned when they were NOT yet found guilty and eventually turned out to be innocent ?
Why was the accusers name not mentioned ? She is the criminal here.
hugh jars
Apr 16th 2012, 14:56
Answer to all your questions...........CRAP JUSTICE SYSTEM, end of!!!!
Maria Brincat
Apr 16th 2012, 00:13
Good luck.. Mr. Fiteni.
I was 20 years old and foolish and while what I did wasn’t right, it wasn’t wrong either,” he said.
I agree.. it was foolish to take up such a challenge!
Jonathan Camilleri
Apr 17th 2012, 09:17
It is quite foolish to go to court, when you are aware that you have consensually challenged three guys into a threesome. I don't judge whether it is morally correct or not to take up such challenge, that is part of one's culture.
Tanja Cilia
Apr 15th 2012, 22:06
We are forgetting a lot of things. Just because someone dares you to do something wrong, you are not justified in doing it. Instead of sex, it could have been a dare to jump off a roof; to ride atop a moving car; to mainline drugs; to commit a random murder... Would "she told me to do it!" have counted as an excuse here, too? What if they had got carried away and the girl had died, like the Ukrainian who had died of her injuries after being gang-raped? http://www.womensviewsonnews.org/2012/03/ukrainian-teenager-dies-after-being-gang-raped-and-set-on-fire/ What if things did not go exactly as has been set down in the documents? Was there any time, in these six years, in which the men (men?) could have colluded with reagrd to evidence given? This smacks of "she asked for it".
Maria Brincat
Apr 16th 2012, 00:22
I can see your point, but the court has found (and none too soon) that these men were not guilty of rape.
Shouldn't this girl pay for what she did??
Not only did she make life hell for these people for six yrs,...thanks to her, anytime a woman goes to report a rape, this case will immediately come to mind... because once there was a woman who faked it.
What if things did not go exactly as has been set down in the documents? - the first thing you're asked to do when you report a rape, is go for a medical exam (yes, after the humiliation of being raped and used, you're expected to have someone else poke around too... It's a professional, granted, but it still feels like another violation). If this girl had really been raped there would have been medical evidence...
Real rape victims (the majority of whom are women) already have a hard time trying to get justice.. they don't need some 'sister' stabbing them in the back!!
Tanja Cilia
Apr 16th 2012, 11:55
You got the wrong end of the stick @Maria Brincat - I was most certainly not stabbing anyone in the back; I was merely pointing out that whereas rape is a weapon used by women for several reasons (revenge being one of them), it all too often happens that a woman has what is known as "a reputation" (think Jodie Foster in The Accused), the cards are already stacked against her. The fact remains that if someone offers you anything, be it money, sex, jewellery, a promotion at work, a job... the first thing to remember is that there is not such thing as a free meal, and that you might rue the day you accepted when your actions come back to haunt you. In this case, the woman offered her body; it was accepted, and those who exploited her are now claiming martyr status. As for when I mentioned "documents", I was not alluding to the medical evidence, I was alluding the the verbal testimony of those I ironically called men.
r buttigieg
Apr 16th 2012, 22:51
@tania... so as usual men are the eternal evils while women are the perpetual innocent frail victims eh. I wonder who exploited who in this instance? If three/four adults decided to have sex ( under no coersion) together so be it who are you to arrogantly question if these are men (men?) Is she a dame then, a damsel in distress, a lady? Ah so you doubting the outcome of the case, I guess as long as it does not portray men as the usual rapists it is not satisfactory. I think that you are one of those who would like to promote a feminist world, reminiscent of the s.c.u.m manifesto, where the word of a woman is enough to decide if a man is guilty or not.
Maria Brincat
Apr 16th 2012, 23:26
I was not referring to you - I was referring to the girl in question; her actions are a stab in the back at rape victims.
I agree with you that these guys should have not taken her up on her offer, but I would hardly call it 'exploitation'. She offered; they took - they all were consenting adults.. It would have been exploitation if she was underage, or if the 'men' took by force something which was not offered to them.
Jonathan Camilleri
Apr 17th 2012, 09:18
What defines 'wrong' and 'right'? Nobody is jumping off a roof here, Mr. Cilia, so the analogy does not make rational sense to me.
Mr Kevin Zammit
Apr 15th 2012, 20:29
Which ever anybody wants to look at it its just simply downright crude to just pop into some dingy room with another 2 men with some woman you do not know. Its as simple as that. Nothing good can come out of it an foolishness alone just does not cut it in opinion.
6 years 2 years ... its just a matter of time but this guy will just look like a real fool for quite some time until memory of the affair ebbs away.
Tanja Cilia
Apr 17th 2012, 14:57
Just because I state my opinion, and I happen to be a woman, I am labelled a feminist. Resorting to labelling people cuts no ice with me; it simply reinforces my position. Most of the defence of these males sounds like "Eve led me into sin". Passing the sexual buck is such a feel-good thing to do... when the woman involved is not your daughter or niece, in which case those who preyed on her would probably be called all manner of things.
L New
Apr 15th 2012, 19:48
@F Goodwin: This man wouldn't be in prison in the first place if this woman hadn't outright lied. Oh she was just a "poor confused girl"? Yea, I have hard time discerning between being gang raped and having a foursome between consenting adults which I've initiated. Really confusing.
She's only to blame "indirectly"? Let's examine that because I don't think you understand what that means. You mean to say that she had NO direct correlation between lying to federal prosecutors and that man going to jail for SIX years? Instead we should just ignore what she said/did and place all the blame on the government? They wouldn't have even gotten involved if this woman hadn't lied. She is DIRECTLY to blame for this man going to jail. Though I do agree that the justice system is to blame as well, they too are directly responsible for taking away years of this innocent man's life. "In another country an identical allegation could have been dealt with within a year." Oh really? Do you have sources for this? I'm just curious because in my country there seems to be a shit ton of false rape accusations thrown about and the courts are so biased that they throw men in jail without any evidence. And when it turns out the woman was lying (and admitted to it) she gets absolutely no punishment. And if she happens to get a small slap on the wrist, it's a few hours of community service and maybe some probation.
Check out the False Rape Society or google any identical case. Just so I don't shoot myself in the foot and render all of this moot by people who are biased: I'm a woman.
F Goodwin
Apr 16th 2012, 10:52
Without having any personal experience with either scenario, I don't think the line between three men having consensual sex with a mentally ill teenager and a gang rape is necessarily very clear. You say 'really confusing' sarcastically, but it may well have been confusing, especially if she was joking about it but didn't really want to go through with it. We don't know what happened, except that it can't be proven in court to have been a rape. This guy didn't intend to hurt her, and he has finally cleared his name. If she deliberately lied to defame them, I would definitely agree she should face some kind of consequences, but it seems more likely to me this was a grey area and the only black-and-white outrage is about the trial process itself. I guess she's directly responsible, but we don't know what her motivations were - if she truly believes she was raped she's not exactly a cartoon villain. The finding of the court was that she wasn't credible, not that she 'outright lied,' that's just your own assumption, made from the other side of the world...
F Goodwin
Apr 15th 2012, 19:22
Can we please channel our anger in a productive direction? The answer to this is not to grab pitchforks and torches and hunt down this poor confused girl, it is to agitate for reform in the criminal justice system. The girl is to blame only indirectly for the indignity this man suffered for so many years. In another country an identical allegation could have been dealt with within the year. The real blame lies with the justice system, and with the government for failing to address these ridiculous delays.
Tonio Bone
Apr 15th 2012, 19:38
Okay hold on a second. The fact that it took six years to bring this dreadful saga to an end is horrific, but that is the pace of our justice system under normal circumstances, but to call an 18 year old with a 33 year old girlfriend who challenges three young guns to take advantage of her out of spite a 'poor confused girl' is outrageous!
The justice system is what it is, but this girl needs to be held accountable for her actions, no questions asked!
F Goodwin
Apr 15th 2012, 22:14
Yeah, 'indirectly' is too strong a word. She is certainly blameworthy, I just think it would be more productive to encourage the government to make reforms so that these kinds of allegations can be dealt with more quickly. It would be fair to hold her accountable for the damage inflicted on these men's lives and reputations, I just hope she'll be held accountable by legal means, and not by you guys :P
Tonio Bone
Apr 15th 2012, 19:17
So it turned out the girl lied, does she get penalized for having enticed three men into what she wanted to then accuse them of rape? Did she get off Scot-free? Can these guys sue for damages?
Charles J. Buttigieg
Apr 15th 2012, 19:07
I’m just trying to figure out what my reactions would have been if I were still a young man in my twenties. After having a few drinks with my friends, going for a little stroll looking for a bit of fun and fantasizing about the pleasures of sex,an 18 year old voluptuous girl invites me and my friends to join her in a sexual orgy. As I do not have the answer I am not in a position to judge the three sex adventurers. We all know that what they did is not morally acceptable ,however, it is not against the law. and a good confession would grant forgiveness.
My condemnations are against the girl for her false report to the police and to our judicial botched system to allow three men going through hell for six bloody years.
Mr RICHARD MUSCAT
Apr 15th 2012, 18:23
I, as father, am in a position to understand and to appreciate the pains of a young lad who undergoes the terrible experience faced with an allegation of sex assault that eventually turned out to be a false allegation. I know of a case of a young lad with an impairment, whose two-minute encounter with a girl on a pavement in a busy street on a sunny afternoon, was turned into a nightmare when the girl ran to the police claiming that she thought the young man wanted to sexually assault her. The police dutifully, filed the report and arrested him. Whilst the investigation was still in progress, the girl sold the story to the tabloid papers who, without scruples, sexed up the story splashing it in their front pages under sensational titles, naming and identifying the young lad who defended his innocence with determination. He was simply terrified and passed through hell with traumas resulting from the false report. It was a big lie. The girl turned an innocent brief encounter in the busy street into an assault. Not even the eventual clearing of his name by the competent authorities who found that there was no case to proceed, were enough to make up for the gross injustice he suffered.
Certainly the media become thugs when their greed to publish sensational stories is greater than their ethics and their duty to search for truth. The biggest victims in such cases, besides the innocent person, are truth and justice.
Ms maria bonnici
Apr 15th 2012, 17:23
good luck for your future.....................................yes good luck.
Carmel Grima
Apr 15th 2012, 17:17
And so this unnamed girl goes free while possibly the three men's lives are probably ruined. Thousands of Euros have gone to drain as well as sleepless nights and precious police time wasted. Some justice !
Carmel Vella
Apr 15th 2012, 17:15
That woman should be in shackles, and facing a jury of her peers.
Louise Borg
Apr 15th 2012, 16:05
The victims were named & shamed...and the culprit is unknown! Why not mention her name??? Good luck for your future Rhys!!
Joe Fenech
Apr 15th 2012, 15:29
So what happens next to the girl? Why should such a manipulative ...... benefit from protection?
Ruth Muscat
Apr 15th 2012, 14:42
Mr Fiteni, you have all my solidarity.. a lie is always a lie.. and you suffered in vain. I hope you have a good and better future
Vincent Farrugia
Apr 15th 2012, 13:49
"I was 20 years old and foolish and while what I did wasn’t right, it wasn’t wrong either".
LOL, after six years he still didn't realise that he did wrong. You should have had the guts to stay out of it. Period. After all, you would have been the bigger man, as history would prove.
I'm not defending the girl of course. To be fair, having issued such a challenge and then going to the police for only one having direct intercourse with her and the other 2 oral sex... really I expected from her "sexual prowess". A LOT more such cases go unnoticed, btw. These are the Maltese girls that we have. And we say that foreigners are bitches...
Franco Farrugia
Apr 15th 2012, 16:05
Wow! I thought that nobody was going to EVEN REFER to this sexual act that the three guys indulged in, TOGETHER, with a girl - single! - younger than any of them!
Of course we cannot defend the girl's actions. Her actions are to be condemned.
However, it is PITIFUL that nobody below has so far criticised this young man and his two friends for the way they indulged in sex, together, as three males, with one female!
What makes 'right' or 'wrong'? This man still believes he did nothing 'wrong' in having sex together with two other guys with a single girl.
Joe Fenech
Apr 15th 2012, 16:49
Vincent Farrugia, it's none of your business how they had sex with her, and how many people took part in the orgy. The fact of the matter is that this girl lied and she should pay for it heavily..
Joseph Borg
Apr 15th 2012, 18:35
excuse me??? min mindu l hawn INT ghandek dritt tindahal fil hajja sesswali ta persuna? jekk kollox kien konsenswali KULHADD ghandu dritt jaghmel li jrid ...issa jekk iridux ikunu 3 irgiel u mara 4 nisa u ragel 6 irgiel u zewg nisa, zewg irgiel, zewg nisa etc etc MHIX AFFARI TIEGHEK!
Kif iddecidejt li dan l individwu ghamel xi haga hazina? min int int biex tiggudika x jaghmel persuna fil hajja privata tieghu?
Sa fejn naf jiena ma hawn l ebda ligi tal istat li timpedilek li fil kumdita ta darhek jkollok xtaqsam ma numru ta persuni, diment li mhxu ghal flus.
U min mindu l hawn li ghax mara iddecidiet li jkolla x taqsam ma tlett irgiel jfisser li tiggeneralizza li n nisa ta Malta kollha zibel?
Kulhadd irid jaghmila tal gudikatur! hekk jonqos issa!
Franco Farrugia
Apr 16th 2012, 18:40
@ Joseph Borg: Mill-kummenti tieghek ma nahsibx li qed tindirizza lili imma xorta ha nwiegbek. Li kieku inti persuna adulta responsabbli ghandek taghraf naqra differenza bejn l-immaginazzjoni fertili u r-realta! Jekk inti m'ghandekx rispett lejk innifsek, almenu tippretendix li kulhadd bhalek. Jekk hawnhekk hawn kwazi kulhadd qed jiggudika lil din il-mara, jien, u forsi xi ftit ohrajn, qedin jissugerixxu li dan it-tali li issa qed jokrob ghax ghadda minn zmien ta' persekuzzjoni, messu qaghad attent x'jaghmel. B'li ghamel, flimkien ma' shabu, kien qed jistieden l-inkwiet, u l-inkwiet hadu: sitt snin shah!
John Borg
Apr 15th 2012, 13:36
The woman claimed that she is the victim of men, rather than a conqueror, or an OUTLAW.
Joseph Mifsud
Apr 15th 2012, 13:30
What about compensation to these poor guys????? Not to mention opportunity cost, social damage amongst others....
Is here any law expert that can explain what happens when someone is accused of rape and was prooved innocent?
Should the alleged girl be imprisoned for fame, falsely testifying etc.....
Jade Schembri
Apr 15th 2012, 13:28
This man's reputation has been severely tarnished. It would be hard for him to find a good paying job . From a practical perspective, I would not employ this man in my company even if it has been proven that he is innocent. As the Maltese goes "Issa ha il fama".
On the flipside, I would, as things stand, likely employ the woman since her name was not published and this incident would not surface when getting employed.
Anthony Agius
Apr 15th 2012, 13:23
why did it take 6 years to issue a not guilty verdict? will anybody be held accountable?
Robert Agius
Apr 15th 2012, 15:01
yes, you just wait for them to line up...
A Galea
Apr 15th 2012, 13:23
I thought one is innocent until proven guilty.
I mean, I can understand that they are put under house arrest until the police gather all the necessary evidence, but putting them in jail is going overboard.
It is not unusual for rapists to be beaten, raped and even killed when in jail. Thank goodness they managed to get out unharmed.
Maria Brincat
Apr 15th 2012, 23:57
It is not unusual for rapists to be beaten, or raped in jail.... maybe that's why there are still so many cases of sexual violence, because not enough rapists are sent to jail for their crimes...
Johnathan Cilia
Apr 15th 2012, 13:21
Poor men, that must have been hell. This story sounds like a parable from the bible or something about justice gone wrong.
Saviour Cachia
Apr 15th 2012, 13:00
Nixtieq nanalizza ftit dak li qrajt mill-ottika tieghi. Jien ma nafx min kienet it-tfajla koncernata u lanqas irrid inkun naf. Imma la darba kienet tfajla ta' 18-il sena, mhux minorenni, u nstab li pjuttost kienet hija li ghamlet l-isfida, huwa dnub li isem dawn iz-zghazagh kellu jiccappas mal-erbat irjieh, meta ghamlu bluha taz-zoghzija.
Bluha b'kunsens mit-tfajla li hadet sehem fl-atti sesswali li saru. L-istampa u l-mezzi tax-xandir imxew mad-digriet tal-qorti u ma semmewx it-tfaja...imma ghala kellhom jissemmew iz-zghazagh la darba sakemm tkun taht akkuza int presunt innocenti u fil-fatt hekk kienu.
Nahseb li wasal iz-zmien li min imexxi l-Istampa u l-mezzi tax-Xandir ikun iktar prudenti u juza d-diskrezzjoni tieghu biex kazi bhal dawn jigu injorati. Qal is-Sur Fiteni li barra li sofra certa penalitajiet sakemm inghatat is-sentenza, f'mohhu dahhalu l-fellus li kull tfajla meta tarah kienet taqsam it-triq ghax hu kien ittimbrat stupratur. Mhux l-ewwel kaz li persuna ticcappas mal-Istampa kif tigi akkuzata b'xi haga u wara tohrog innocenti.
Ghalfejn il-gurnali u l-mezzi tax-xandir ma jwasslux kawzi kompleti u lesti, mela dak li jkun jigi kkundannat qabel ippruvajt hati. Tghiduli liberta tal-espressjoni, stampa, sensazzjonalizmu, imma fejn hu s-sens ta' gustizzja u mghoddrija? Hemm bzonn li min hu nkarigat fl-Ghaqda tal-Gurnalisti ghal dik li hija etika, johrog rakkomandazzjonijiet serji li jkunu fier ma' kulhadd.
Sewwa bil-lingwa Maltija ghamilna massakkru u ha l-barka ta' min kien responsabbli. U f'kazi bhal dawn li bluha ta' mument taf tirvina hajja ta' bniedem ma jittiehdu ebda kunsiderazzjonijiet. Ghalija kien kaz li ma messu gie qatt rappurtat.
Forsi naghmel biss eccezzjoni fejn jidhlu l-gurijiet, imma mill-bqija x'rebhu l-gurnali jew l-mezzi tax-Xandir billi xandru lil dawn it-tliet zghazagh bhala allegati stupraturi. Hemm kazi ohra fejn l-istess Stampa jew mezzi tax-Xandir toqghod lura biex ma jixxandrux ismijiet ta' persuni li jistghu jkunu nfluwenti. F'dan il-kaz partikulari kien hemm ammissjoni cara li kien hem kunsens mit-tfajla, li lanqas kienet minorenni. Prudenza u ghaqal, sinjuri gurnalisti u xandara, jekk joghgobkom. Dawn kazi simili ta;' min sfortunatament jaghmel suwicidju, jisfa mejjet kawza ta' overdose jew inkella b'bestjalita' kbira isallab xi kelb jew qattus. Dawn huma kazi li m'ghandhomx jixxandru.
M Mealclaff
Apr 15th 2012, 12:54
I would suggest that the Prosecution is not done by the Police .. but should be done by an independent body.
In England the police arrest and question the suspect then hand over the file to the Crown Prosecution Service who then decide on weather to prosecute ..
It seems in Malta the Police are duty bound to prosecute after a complaint of this type is made ... Their hands are tied .. Where as The Crown Prosecution Service can make a choice either way .
Charles Sammut
Apr 15th 2012, 12:54
So...the six men who were falsely accused by a lying b.....h have had their names plastered all over the Media!
But the liar's name is not to be published....why??? And is she going to be charged with perjury and making these very serious false accusations??. More proof of the nepotism of the Laugh Court of the island in the sun!!
I suggest to these four innocent victims that they should take their case to the European Court of Appeal for their defamation and lack of Justice!
..and the beat goes on...and the beat goes on.....
V Mercieca
Apr 15th 2012, 12:39
what happened to the girl?
Did she get away free for ruining the lives of others?
Is she going to pay compensation to the victims?
Robert Caruana
Apr 15th 2012, 12:35
just FILTH....FILTH and more FILTH
twanny borg
Apr 15th 2012, 12:17
nixtieq infakkar li mid-DNA ma nstab xejn taghhom imma ta' persuna ohra. kif tista' persuna li tigi stuprata wara ftit taghmel sess ma' haddiehor?. fil-fatt wara dan ir-rapport li ronald gie moghti li jista' johrog minn house arrest. iva wara 14-il xahar. ghaliex fuq l-istess akkuzi l-house arrest kien differenti wiehed minn iehor? nemmen li jekk sar stupru dan sar fuqhom. iz-zaghzagh ghandhom jiehdu taghlima minn din l-istorja ta' ingustizzja minn kull att.
j dough
Apr 15th 2012, 12:16
i am glad that the truth has emerged and the innocent have been released.
the moral of this story is for youths(indeed anyone) to be careful of what they do and with whom. not to be overcome by lust and excitement.
good luck mr fiteni, and the other young men involved.
Charles Mangion
Apr 15th 2012, 12:10
Iwould sue the girl and the police for not for tarnishing his reputation and also the press because you are inniocent before you are proved guilty C.Mangion
carmel cassar
Apr 15th 2012, 11:45
This man is a good man, lucky the girl that is supporting him. I ask, have the police took any action? if not we want to know why. True that the victim forgave her,but that has nothing to do with justice.It is not a revenge but to discourage others from thinking they can do the same because they can get away with it. The least she should be charged with giving a faulse statement, I sure the police will think of a long list if they want to. We are hearing it often now.
To the courts and police we demand action period
B Attard
Apr 15th 2012, 11:38
Unfortunately similar cases where the victim is supposed to be the accussed (surrounded by a pack of lies) are happening too frequently. This is serious .Something has to be done.
D Zarb
Apr 15th 2012, 11:35
Three innocent men were exposed for public condemnation for 6 years. Now that the truth is out we the general public expect to know the woman's name and what path justice will take. Gender equality must be across the board with no exceptions. Knowing our court system I bet that nothing will happen and we just have to wait for the next guy who falls into a similar trap. Viva l ugwaljanza.
twanny borg
Apr 15th 2012, 11:11
li nixtieq nistaqsi huwa jekk ittiehdilhomx stqarrijiet mill-pulizija u jekk iva kellhomx id-dritt li qabel ikellmu avukat.? nistenna risposta iva jew le. nitlob lil xi hadd jaghmel din il-mistoqsija forsi xi mistoqsija parlamentari. ghaliex le?
Paul Borg
Apr 15th 2012, 11:11
The least they can do is give him a chance to be inserted in the military programme, if that was his aim. Rape is always a delicate matter and I cannot understand how the"experts" came to the original conclusion.
Victor Pulis
Apr 15th 2012, 11:01
The three accused were named as soon as they were arrested and before they were proven guilty, a thing which never happened according to the final verdict. The woman has never been named despite the fact that she slundered the accused. Justice is really blind as they say.
Joseph Calleja
Apr 15th 2012, 13:21
Only in one eye.
MALCOLM SEYCHELL
Apr 15th 2012, 10:51
Shame on the court that it took 6 years to give this sentence
Shame on the court for not sending to prison the woman
Shame on the court for not mentioning the name of this woman
Shame on the court for not givin moral damages to these 3 men
V. Cauchi
Apr 15th 2012, 11:05
"Shame on the court for not sending to prison the woman" - this court could not judge the woman. A fresh case would have to be brought against the woman, which case may by now be time barred.
"Shame on the court for not mentioning the name of this woman" - the woman is presumed to have been an innocent victim, and is still so presumed in this case which is not being conducted against her.
"Shame on the court for not givin moral damages to these 3 men" - moral damages are only awarded as an outcome of a civil suit for such damages, which is separate from criminal action. Hence my plea, further below, for proper filtering of all evidence relating to the case at police investigative level, prior to arraignment, to avoid subsequent longtail remedial action.
A Camilleri
Apr 15th 2012, 13:07
Totally agree, the girl should be named and taken back to court.
Pauline Abela
Apr 15th 2012, 10:44
This woman should be named. That way any future boyfriend would be warned of what she is capable of.
It would also make other women think twice before they make serious, unfounded allegations.
Best wishes to Rhys and Amy. Keep positive. Things can only get better for you.
Franco Abela
Apr 15th 2012, 10:41
1) Shame on the Courts that it took them six years to end this case. They tend to forget that life is precious... especially for the wrongly accused!
2) What happens now? What about the female that LIED to the police and ruined 6 years of 3 persons, totalling 18 years? Will she be prosecuted? Hope so!
Vincent Galea
Apr 15th 2012, 10:32
Life is what you make of it, if you keep feeling sorry for yourself you are going to create a hell for yourself.
Don't take life so seriously.....just be yourself.
Life is short guy, don't screw it up.
Good luck.
twanny borg
Apr 15th 2012, 10:32
li ma nistax nifhem huwa kif nies jitresqu l-qorti bit-tbatija kollha mill-istat u wara johrog li huma innocenti u ma jigux kompensati. dawn tresqu mill-istat u mhux mill-mara involuta. jekk irid ikun l-istat li jitlob id-danni minn din il-mara. mela min jghaddi minn haga terribbli bhal din ikollu sahha u flus biex ifittex lil min gideb fuqu? aktar jekk ma tahdimx. il-veru kaz li l-gustizzja ma tezistix. ghal min ma jafx wiehed minnhom ronald ghamel 14-il xahar house arrest. immagina l-omm fil-milied u l-ewwel tas-sena tilghab il-karti mieghu biex taljenah sakemm mar jorqod meta shabu jiddevertu.
Edward Curmi
Apr 15th 2012, 10:10
If justice has to be done let the girl go through the same...or is it just the male race which have to be judged!!
V. Cauchi
Apr 15th 2012, 09:50
"From the testimony of various witnesses – and forensic evidence revealing no signs of violent conduct – the court ruled the girl was never forced into doing anything against her will."
I think this is another case of the police throwing the book at persons without conducting proper investigations beforehand. It might all be due to the fact that speedy action is brought about in order to arraign suspects within the legally fixed time limits, so as to avoid any pollution of evidence, or to put "case closed" to their files, but this is far from correct behaviour if they know they do not have enough evidence which will hold in a court of law.
The principle of passing the buck to the lawcourts, which will then decide themselves, even if evidence is doubtful, is highly unethical. The police should take all such time as is required and consult with expert criminal lawyers whom they should employ in their department to assess the validity and worthiness of any evidence they might have in hand. Time should be of strictly no consequence before proceeding with an arraignment. See the consequences in the present case and the trauma caused in many other unreported cases.
God forbid all this haste is engendered by any impulse to get a feather in one's cap, or "to please" anyone in the hierarchy. In that case it is incumbent to make a meticulous and conscientious examination of the ethics of policies within the police department. It looks like there is a case for all this given the foot-dragging that has been and is still being exercised for years now, in spite of all recommendations, on legal representation during police questioning which puts us in the same balance pan as some democratically underdeveloped country. There is much to be debated on this subject and one wonders why government is keeping away from this hot, transparent debate.
Throwing the book at persons should be forsaken, by police and all authorities alike, for trudging on in court for several more years to seek a remedy is certainly no solution.
Joseph Cauchi Senior
Apr 15th 2012, 11:20
Well done, Mr. V. Cauchi.
You couldn't have said it better.
The authorities are obliged that such irresponsible actions by the Police are NOT to be repeated.
The Police and the Authorities should realise what the consequences would be to those innocently accused and the harm done to them both psychologically and physically, which will never be recuperated!
This is NOT justice!
The Police should stop passing the buck and held accountable. Full Stop.
JC.
Dennis Zammit
Apr 15th 2012, 13:57
According to various statistics and reports, NOT all rape leaves signs of violence in the personal parts of the alleged victim.
Only the victim can try to prove the case. The defense's job is to discredit the victim's testimony to clear their clients from the case.
Amy Agius
Apr 18th 2012, 11:04
@Dennis Zammit
"According to various statistics and reports, NOT all rape leaves signs of violence"
But the way that the SUPPOSED TO BE raped girl had witnessed, must result into signs of both violence and rape. However, none of these were found, since she wasn't really raped. Additionally, the girl also had sexual intercourse with an other guy afterwards, later that day. Traces of his semen were found inside her. Also, who is that victim of rape, who will be ready to have another sexual affair right after being raped? There were no signs of violence, rape or trauma.
AND THIS IS RHYS FITENI SPEAKING - I AM INNOCENT, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE MESSAGES OF SOLIDARITY AND SUPPORT - I APPRECIATE A LOT.
Duncan Tanti
Apr 15th 2012, 09:48
Why wasnt she mentioned????its not fair on these guys!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tanya Briffa
Apr 15th 2012, 09:44
Dear Rhys,
We all make mistakes we are ashamed of but it is a very special person who gains so much wisdom and maturity from a bad experience. Prosit habib, I wish you and Amy good luck in all your future endeavors.
Amy Borg
Apr 15th 2012, 09:35
Why wasn't the girl name mentioned yet the names of the three men were mentioned? The girl is the culprit and she should be named and shamed!!
B Attard
Apr 15th 2012, 09:34
Rhys this was a strike of lightning in your life which you were not prepared for. Thank God this is over and take care of your girlfriend and the people who supported you through your difficulties. Please do share your experience because some immature boys are very easily prone to get in such trouble. Good Luck.
Dennis Zammit
Apr 15th 2012, 09:30
How about suing his accuser in a civil court for having done him so much damage?
She must be somehow responsible for her lies that robbed them of six years of their life.
mario salnitro
Apr 15th 2012, 09:10
Good luck lad i wish you all the best.
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