A 59-year-old man has been charged with raping and abusing his former partner’s daughter over a number of years in what the police said was a “classic case of abuse”.

The complainant, now 18, was first abused while she was still a minor and was now terrified of the man, Police Inspector Louise Calleja said in court yesterday.

This, the officer pointed out, was a classic case of abuse where the aggressor had threatened the victim to keep quiet. She was so afraid of him that she was even scared of appearing in court.

The man pleaded not guilty to raping and defiling her, holding her against her will and indecently assaulting her in a violent manner.

In the short sitting, the accused, who cannot be named by court order, stood in the dock emotionless as his lawyer, Charmaine Cherrett, requested bail.

Magistrate Edwina Grima denied the application and remanded him in custody.

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