Sex offender Joel Caruana.

The police are investigating DJ and convicted sex offender Joel Caruana after he allegedly used photos of underage girls to promote his latest event, Times of Malta has learnt.

Police sources confirmed yesterday investigations started when the mother of a young girl featured in promotional material complained that her daughter had not given consent for her image to be used.

The event poster, uploaded on to Facebook last month, features about a dozen scantily-dressed young girls beneath the title ‘Girls Invasion’.

The party happened last Saturday amid controversy that Mr Caruana was taking advantage of a loophole allowing him to organise the event despite being on the sex offenders registry.

Child Commissioner Helen D’Amato said she had received a complaint from the parents of a young girl who claimed her photos had been taken from her social media account despite her being underage.

Mr Caruana told The Sunday Times of Malta he had sought consent from all the young models.

Asked if they were all adults, he said that, as far as he was aware, none of the girls were minors, adding he knew many of them personally.

“These are people who will be at these events regularly. They go to Paceville every week,” he said.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said the legal loophole allowing Mr Caruana to organise parties attracting teens as young as 17 could soon be closed through a “legislative intervention”.

He was reacting to what The Sunday Times of Malta reported that Mr Caruana, 24, of Tarxien, had organised “countless” parties despite being twice convicted for sexual encounters with minors.

The DJ was sentenced to a 10-month prison term, suspended for two years, for engaging in sexual acts with a girl in 2008. He later received a second suspended sentence after he was pictured cupping the breast of a 14-year-old girl at one of his contentious ‘I Love Music’ teen parties in 2013.

Dr Bonnici said he had asked the Attorney General to look into the law regarding sex offenders after the office of the Children’s Commissioner called for those attending such events to be protected.

“I have taken note of the commissioner’s concerns and am naturally worried about such loopholes, too. As a matter of principle, I always want these things to be seen to,” Dr Bonnici said, adding that he was awaiting legal advice on the best way forward but would not hesitate to take action.

The Protection of Minors Act, under which the offenders register falls, precludes those found guilty from working for or forming part of any entity that educates, cares for or has custody of minors. This is not limited to gainful employment and includes volunteer involvement, meaning someone on the list could not help out at a football nursery, for instance.

Anyone found guilty of breaching these conditions would face up to four years in prison.

Furthermore, anybody who recruits a person featured on the list would face a fine as high as €50,000.

Mr Caruana shows no remorse for his past wrongdoings and believes he should not be on the sex offenders list.

Ms D’Amato is calling for the Protection of Minors Act to be amended so that persons on the list will have to be vetted before organising such events.