An 18-year-old from Marsascala yesterday denied defiling a girl of 14 at Splash and Fun on Sunday before a magistrate banned all reporting of the proceedings.

The young man’s English friend, who is also 18 and is here on holiday, took to the witness stand and said he, the accused and the accused’s brother went to the water park for the day.

At one point all three of them decided to go on a circular ride known as the lazy river, where people float around on inflatable rubber rings and lilos.

The witness said they saw two girls but did not speak to them, then he saw the accused suddenly lift his leg up and fall off his lilo into the water.

He thought nothing of it and saw nothing else, floating around the lazy river for a second time before returning to their sun beds.

The teens then went to buy ice cream and saw the girls again, who walked past them.

Later, park employees went to talk to them and took them to the staff room.

Following this testimony, Magistrate Charmaine Galea postponed proceedings so that she could do an unrelated arraignment before starting again.

As the case got under way, lawyer Alfred Libreri asked the magistrate to ban the publication of his client’s name and the testimony of the alleged victims.

Police Inspector Josric Mifsud objected, saying the victims had no connection to the accused.

He referred to a decree handed down last week by another magistrate that overturned a decision to ban the publication of proceedings involving a priest, Jesmond Gauci, who is charged with sexually abusing minors.

Magistrate Galea ordered a ban and asked reporters to leave the court room.