A Syrian man was today remanded in custody after he pleaded not guilty to raping a Romanian woman who he was taking home after a heavy drinking session in Paceville early on Sunday. 

Ahmad Sheikh Ahmed, 38, denied raping the 23-year-old woman as he was driving her from Paceville to Mosta, where she lived. The incident took place in his car as few streets away from her residence. 

Defence counsel Joe Brincat said his client was hotly contesting the charge, saying the woman was drunk and he was just helping her to get home safely. He explained that his client's brothers were with the woman and her friend in Paceville. The woman got drunk so the brother carried her down to the seaside to get some fresh air. He then called his brother, the defendant, to drive her home. The woman's friend refused to accompany her drunk friend. She then claimed that her client had raped her. 

The prosecuting officer, Joseph Busuttil, said that while it was true the woman was drunk, she was not so drunk as she was giving him directions of where she lived. Court experts who had been appointed to examine her confirmed that the woman had bruises, compatible to being restrained, and also had bruising compatible to a forced penetration. 

Mr Busuttil added that the woman identified her aggressor during an identification parade, identifying him as the person who raped her. 

Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona turned down his request for bail since there were a number of civilian witnesses who had to testify. 

Police Inspector Nicholas Vella also prosecuted.