Leanne Camilleri admitted making up abuse claims. Photo: Matthew MirabelliA young woman who admitted on national TV to making up sex abuse allegations against her father was yesterday placed on probation for three years and ordered to do 100 hours of community service.
Leanne Camilleri, 20, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Doreen Clarke to repeatedly lying about being sexually abused by her father from 2004, when she was eight years old, up to recently, when she retracted the allegation.
She claimed she was forced to make the allegations by her mother, Lisa May Camilleri, who is pleading not guilty to perjury.
Ms Camilleri’s estranged husband, Emanuel, spent nearly 400 days in jail after he was found guilty of defiling his daughter.
The 42-year-old was serving a two-year term but was provisionally released by order of the Constitutional Court pending the outcome of the criminal case against his former wife.
Leanne’s social worker, Antonia Spagnol, recommended she was given probation and psychological help.
Ms Spagnol said her parents separated when Leanne was seven years old and she continued to live with her mother.
As a result, her father was never present.
The girl was very angry with her mother and they were always arguing, the social worker said.
The case against her mother is still pending.