An Indian restaurant owner told the court today that a man accused of holding his former girlfriend against her will and indecently assaulting her had done this to her twice before.

Testifying against Jaswinder Singh, 25, who is also pleading not guilty to threatening and harassing the former girlfriend and slightly injuring her on March 31, Sunil Khosla said that the victim had gone to Germany and did not come back.

He said she had turned up at the restaurant, where she used to work, crying and said that the accused tried to "fiddle" around with her. He said she left in August.

Asked whether he had asked the accused about the girl’s claims, Mr Khosla said he did at the Msida police station and the accused had said that he made a mistake and was sorry ‘so please don't bring a case against me’.

Mr Khosla said the accused said this in Indian in front of the inspector shortly after he had denied that he had done anything to the girl, who was over 18.

Mr Khosla said that he and his wife took the girl to the police station to lodge a report.

During cross examination, Mr Khosla said he did not know the victim but knew her sister.

Throughout her stay in Malta she lived with the accused and he and his wife had advised her to move out because he had done this to her twice before.

Following an incident when the accused tried to touch the girl, Mr Khosla said, the accused phoned her father and apologised and promised that this would not happen again.

Mr Khosla said he spoke to the girl’s father in India who said to give the accused another chance. He said he was called to translate during the interrogation.

Asked whether he had told the inspector that he was an interested party, Mr Khosla said that the inspector knew that.