A police inspector faced disciplinary action over his handling of a child abuse claim, The Sunday Times of Malta learned last night.

Sources said action was taken against the inspector before the accused was cleared of all charges last Thursday.

Anthony (Tonio) Callus, 46, was acquitted of corrupting and defiling a 10-year-old boy while swimming at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq last year. The court ruled that the boy was not a credible witness.

Mr Callus’s lawyer said had the police investigated the child abuse claims properly, he would never have been arrested.

Arthur Azzopardi lambasted the police investigations leading to his client’s arraignment as “totally rushed”, adding that the case should have investigated by the specialised police branch dealing with sexual offences – the vice squad.

“From my understanding, such cases should be examined by the vice squad. But this case was solely handled by the district police,” Dr Azzopardi explained.

When Mr Callus had asked to consult with a lawyer prior to being interrogated by the police, Dr Azzopardi asked the inspector about the timeline of the investigations.

The answer he got was that “this one will definitely head to court”, even though the inspector had not even heard Mr Callus’ version of events at that point. Mr Callus was in fact arraigned the very next day.

“The police didn’t even bother to take the boy on site to inspect which part of the sea he was referring to.

“Had they done so, they would have immediately realised that what the boy was saying was physically impossible because the water behind Splash and Fun is too deep. The boy claimed that Tonio had locked his feet to his and that he was rubbing his hands against his stomach and private parts while the boy was pushing him off with both his hands. Had they truly done so, both would have drowned.”

The court heard how the boy had ‘liked’ various Playboy pages on Facebook, claiming he had done so with his parents’ consent. It noted how his version of events was corroborated by no one while Mr Callus’ version was confirmed by every witness who testified before the court.

The boy admitted that his father had taken him to the superior after he had refused to attend catechism lessons.

The police didn’t even bother to take the boy on site to inspect which part of the sea he was referring to

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli also noted that contrary to the behaviour normally displayed by children who were forced to testify in cases of a sexual nature, the boy appeared very confident, expressed no shame and rather seemed to be enjoying being the protagonist.

This led to Mr Callus, a treasurer of Christian doctrine society MUSEUM and assistant head of the church’s St Michael’s school, being cleared on Thursday.

“The psychological effect all this had on Tonio was harrowing. He spent 10 days in prison and was suspended from work – his deepest sorrow was being prohibited from exercising his vocation,” Dr Azzopardi said.

Norbert Bugeja, a former pupil of Mr Callus and a University of Malta lecturer, outlined how both the police and the media ended up harming Mr Callus’ reputation unnecessarily.

Tonio Callus is the treasurer of the Christian doctrine society MUSEUM.

“My criticism does not stem from any bigoted view that religious educators are above criticism. I have no agenda for sticking up for Tonio except for my conviction that his integrity is unquestionable,” Dr Bugeja said, describing Mr Callus as “a deeply charismatic teacher” who spoke to his students about morality, the human conscience and the ability to discern truth.

The case was mishandled from day one as the time span between his interrogation and being hauled to court was very short. Several questions remain to be answered, Dr Bugeja pointed out.

“When someone shows up at the police station claiming child abuse, what relevant expertise is being procured and consulted? Was there a rigorous process of evaluation before he was dragged to court?

“I feel the police have a responsibility to disclose at least the procedure carried out immediately after the report was lodged. This case sent a chill of horror down every educator’s spine and created unnecessary stress on educators’ morale.”

The fact that Mr Callus’ name was not protected by a court ban immediately devolved the responsibility to the media. The heads of Malta’s media organisations should have got together to agree whether publishing Mr Callus’ name would have been premature or not.

There was also the need for some firm counselling so that the boy is made to understand the implications of what he did, Dr Bugeja added.

“The necessary measures should be taken to restore Tonio’s reputation in the public eye. The boy’s parents now have a moral responsibility to issue a public apology to Tonio Callus.”

The psychological effect of false allegations

Edward Curmi

Being wrongly accused of a defiling a minor would have a traumatic effect on any person, according to clinical psychologist Edward Curmi.

Such an allegation which appears out of the blue and tarnishes a person’s well-earned reputation may change the way the person sees the world and cause him to develop a sense of injustice.

“However, the great thing about this case is that Anthony Callus won it. There are other instances of injustice which never surface to see the light of day. I would suggest to anyone who has been treated unjustly to surround themselves by a strong support network of close family and friends.”

Although sometimes there were genuine cases of abuse, there were children who were able to weave stories so expertly that not even a lie detector would pick up on their web of lies.

“I would also work on the boy and invite him to seek therapy. Why did he feel the need to concoct such a story?

“Children do not have the capacity to completely differentiate between right and wrong.”