An Indian man who helped one of his employees file a sexual assault report was asked by the police to act as a translator during the interrogation of the alleged aggressor, a court heard yesterday.

Restaurant owner Sunil Khosla testified that he translated from Indian to English when the police interrogated 25-year-old Jaswinder Singh, who stands accused of violently indecently assaulting his former girlfriend, Kaur Baljinder, on March 31.

Replying to questions by defence lawyer Chris Cilia, he said he had helped Ms Baljinder file the report and so was an interested party in the case.

When he was being formally questioned, the accused denied that he had touched the woman, but when speaking to witness Mr Khosla in his native language, Mr Singh told him: “I made a mistake and I’m sorry for that, so, please, don’t make a case against me.”

Mr Khosla recounted that Ms Baljinder, who has since left the island, had rushed into the restaurant in tears and told him that the accused had tried to “fiddle” with her.

It was the third time that had happened, the witness said.

The accused and the girl lived together and, after the second time this had happened, he told her to leave the apartment they shared, which she did.

The accused then phoned her father in India and apologised and he gave him another chance, the witness said.

When asked how he knew this, Mr Khosla said that he had spoken to the girl’s father directly.

The case continues.