Updated 9pm

The teacher arrested in connection with sex abuse claims at the Ħamrun Lyceum last week has maintained his innocence, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt.

Sources said the man was questioned at length by the police yesterday and released on police bail this evening, 48 hours after his initial arrest. According to the law, police can only detain suspects for a 48 hour period without arraigning them. 

Police investigations are ongoing and sources said the alleged case is being treated with the utmost sensitivity. Investigators are currently trying to establish the facts by speaking to as many witnesses as possible.

According to the allegations, a group of male students, including a 13-year-old, sexually abused their 14-year-old female classmate with their teacher’s blessing on Tuesday at the Ħamrun school.

Three students and the teacher were suspended pending the outcome of a police investigation and a magisterial inquiry.

The sources said the teacher was arrested on Friday evening after several failed attempts because he could not be found. He was questioned at length throughout the day yesterday.

Police investigations into the case, which was flagged by the mother of the girl, have been widened, and the probe is now focusing on cases involving at least three other girls.

All the cases allegedly took place at the Ħamrun school since the start of this scholastic year.

It is claimed that one of the female students was locked in a classroom by seven male students and the suspended teacher, who molested her. Subsequently, a series of compromising photos of the victim were allegedly posted on the multimedia mobile application Snapchat.

Apart from the teacher, a 13-year-old boy, who despite his tender age is already known to the police after being caught violating traffic regulations, is also being investigated.

If it is found that he was the culprit or even an accomplice, he will be spared court proceedings because the minimum age of criminal responsibility has been raised from nine to 14 years.

Sources close to the police said that since the case surfaced on Wednesday about the previous day’s incident, the police have been told by parents of male students that their sons were abused by the same teacher. However, the sources confirmed that no official reports have been filed.

The Times of Malta on Thursday spoke to the alleged victim and her mother. The girl claimed that the boys involved in the cases were very close to the teacher in question.

“They used to hang out with him all day and he even used to share text messages and other material on his mobile phone,” she said.

She said that one of the boys had somehow gained access to a lift, which was meant to be reserved for staff members, with the clear intention of finding a secluded place to abuse his victims.

“Unfortunately, I fell for it. After accepting his invitation to use the lift, his friend tried to touch me,” the girl said.

Prior to last Tuesday’s incident, the girl said she had occasionally complained to her mother about the teacher’s behaviour, particularly that he frequently brushed his body against her breasts.

However, the unsuspecting mother dismissed her concerns, telling her such contact must have been accidental.

The teenager recounted that the last straw was when the teacher allegedly told her classmates to “abuse” her. “At that stage, I could not take anymore and decided to report it,” she said.

matthew.xuereb@timesofmalta.com