A woman who is claiming to have been sexually abused by Dominican friar Charles Fenech yesterday took the witness stand in the court case against him.

The woman, who is in her 40s, was the first to give evidence in the case, which started yesterday before Magistrate Tonio Micallef Trigona.

Fr Fenech had previously skipped court three times over the abuse charges, presenting medical certificates that he was not fit to appear.

But yesterday he turned up in court accompanied by several relatives and friends who waited outside the courtroom while witnesses gave evidence.

The woman making the allegations was followed by another three witnesses – two women and a man – who were called to the stand by the prosecution to back up her version of events.

The woman’s psychiatrist was also called into the courtroom to testify but it was decided that he would give evidence in another sitting.

Fr Fenech, 54, from Rabat is pleading not guilty to sexually abusing the woman, who claims the abuse started while she was being treated at Mount Carmel Hospital and continued over the course of a relationship spanning a number of years. It is not yet clear whether the rest of the witnesses will be heard in open court when the case continues on February 23.

At the beginning of yesterday’s court sitting, Fr Fenech’s lawyers, Michael and Lucio Sciriha, asked for the case to be heard behind closed doors, arguing this was the procedure adopted in similar cases.

But Magistrate Micallef Trigona said he was not interested in similar cases as he was dealing with this case. The Criminal Code said such decisions were up to the discretion of the court, he said.

The prosecution, led by Inspector Louise Calleja, said that they would want the victim to testify behind closed doors but the rest of the evidence should be heard in open court.

After The Sunday Times of Malta broke the story in October that the 54-year-old priest was facing criminal charges, the Dominican Order issued a statement saying that Fr Fenech had been stopped from exercising his duties as a priest and was removed from his post as director of the Kerygma Movement.

Lawyers Noel Bianco and Jason Grima are appearing for the woman.