A photographer was charged with having sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl after enticing her via Facebook for a photoshoot.

Michael Kingswell, 36, from Żebbuġ was remanded in custody after he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The police got to Mr Kingswell after it had been tipped off by Interpol that a Maltese internet address (IP) was being used to download images of child porn from a well-known website.

Police inspector Joseph Busuttil said further investigations revealed that Mr Kingswell was a photographer and had used Facebook to contact minors over the age of 14 for photo shoots.

When the girls turned down such a request he would offer them a normal photo shoot

“He used to send these girls photos of nude young people performing lewd acts, offering to take similar photo shoots,” the inspector testified in court.

When the girls turned down such a request he would offer them a normal photo shoot.

Mr Kingswell was accused of engaging in sexual acts with one of the young victims and investigations also revealed that he sometimes offered the girls a glass of wine during photo shoots.

Defence lawyer Arthur Azzopardi did not ask for his client to be granted bail and Duty Magistrate Aaron Bugeja remanded him in custody.

The police said that information obtained from the victims led them to another photographer, who used Facebook to approach young girls who had posted sexually suggestive pictures of themselves.

The second man, Roberto Rizzo, 37, from Marsascala, was charged with enticing underage girls to indecent photo shoots, some of which were actually carried out.

Mr Rizzo, a civil servant who works as a part-time photographer, pleaded not guilty to the charges. His lawyer, Roberto Montalto, insisted the use of the word “victims” was questionable since the photo shoots were consensual and his client had admitted taking them.

The court denied the request for bail and remanded Mr Rizzo in custody.

The police said the man had engaged in Facebook chats with some 50 victims and feared the man might try to influence the girls, which were expected to testify. 

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