The daughter of a man wrongly convicted and jailed for abusing her admitted with the police that she was fed up of covering up for her mother and that her dad had never laid a finger on her.

Police Inspector Sandro Camilleri told Magistrate Ian Farrugia that the daughter, Leanne Camilleri, who works as a carer in homes for the elderly, told him that she was fed up of lying and that her dad never did anything to her.

He was testifying in the compilation of evidence against Lisa May Camilleri, who is accused of perjury. The investigation began when her estranged husband, Emanuel Camilleri, complained of miscarriage of justice and that he was in jail because his former wife and daughter had lied, accusing him of rape.

Dr Camilleri said that on previous occasions, the daughter had denied her father's allegations and repeatedly said her father was a liar. However, she eventually broke down and admitted that she had lied about her father and that she had been coerced to say those things by her mother and other relatives.

She also told the police that her grandmother used to tell her: "This is what your father did to you... say it."

Dr Camilleri said the police had also spoken to the daughter's former boyfriend who told them that when she was about 15 years old she had told him that she had lied about her father and that her father had never done those things to her.

He also alleged that she had also lied that she was pregnant and that he was the father of her child.

Dr Camilleri said two people from Puttinu Cares had told him that Mr Camilleri used to frequently visit his sick son, Luke, who eventually died of Leukaemia, and that the mother only visited twice in hospital. On both occasions, the police had to be called in because of trouble that ensued between the couple.

When the son died, there was a physical commotion and at one point they also hit the son's corpse, he said.

They also told the police that the children were dirty and often slept on the street as their mother took various men home.

At the end of the sitting the court ruled that there was sufficient evidence for the woman to be placed under a bill of indictment. Bail was denied.