A woman approached people allegedly sexually abused by her husband asking them to forgive him and soften their testimonies against him, the court heard yesterday.

The 64-year-old woman from St Julian’s was charged with causing fear that violence will be used against witnesses in her husband’s case. She pleaded not guilty.

Police Inspector Joseph Busuttil said in court he realised that something was amiss when the alleged victims softened their tone and tweaked their version when testifying in the case against the 55-year-old Egyptian man.

The man is charged with having sexually abused four minor girls between 2004 and 2009. Three of them are his nieces and the fourth was the former partner of his wife’s son. He is pleading not guilty to seven charges relating to indecent acts on the girls, three of whom were aged between eight and 13 at the time.

The charges against the man included violent indecent assault on one minor, participating in sexual activities with her, corrupting her, holding her against her will and threatening her.

He is also charged with the violent indecent assault of another minor in his care.

Other charges include the defilement by lewd acts of a two-year-old boy, whose care had also been entrusted to the accused, and the harassment of a woman, who was not a minor at the time.

The court banned publication of the man’s identity. However, no such ban was made with regard to his wife, though it is being withheld to protect the identity of the alleged victims.

Mr Busuttil told Magistrate Gabriella Vella he began investigating the matter when one of witnesses told him she had been approached by the woman asking her to forgive her husband for what he had done. His suspicions were confirmed, he added, when their testimonies were not corresponding with what they had told the police during the investigations.

While investigating the possible corruption of witnesses, another person told him she had also been approached and this led him to arrest the woman.

He said most of the attempts to influence witnesses were done by phone.

The woman, who has mobility problems and entered the courtroom aided by a policewoman, had her request for bail turned down because there could be no guarantees that she would not approach other witnesses in her husband’s case.

Lawyer Joseph Mizzi appeared for the woman.