The rapist was also convicted of holding his daughter against her will and defiling another three-year-old girl. Photo: Matthew MirabelliA 35-year-old man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of raping his eight-year-old daughter in 2006.
The man was also convicted of holding his daughter against her will and defiling her, as well as defiling another three-year-old girl.
The trial, held behind closed doors, started on Tuesday. He was convicted of the main offence by seven votes to two.
The court heard that the man secretly filmed himself having sex with a woman as he held her three-year-old child. Prosecutors stated that the mother of the eight-year-old, who is now 16, had reported to the police that her daughter was being sexually abused by her father.
Female officers from the police vice squad had spoken to the girl in the presence of her mother and social workers.
The girl, the prosecution pointed out, said her father pressed his private parts against hers and she then felt “a burning sensation”.
The court, presided over by Mr Justice Michael Mallia, banned publication of the man’s name.
Assistant Attorney General Philip Galea Farrugia and lawyer Nadia Camilleri prosecuted. The man was represented by Joe Brincat.