A 23-year-old delivery man was remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to having raped his 15-year old ex-girlfriend to "teach her a lesson" after she pestered his new flame with text messages.

Deniro Bugeja, from Cospicua, was marched to court on Wednesday afternoon two days after the alleged violent incident which took place at his parents’ home on Monday evening.

The man pleaded not guilty to violent rape, with having held his victim against her will, engaged in sexual activities with a minor over a span of eight months and with committing these offences while a suspended sentence was in force.

Inspector John Spiteri explained that the man had been in an intimate relationship with the victim which had recently broken down.

The jilted girl had apparently not taken the matter lightly, especially upon discovering that her ex had found a new love-interest.

The girl allegedly began to message the man's new girlfriend, prompting the former boyfriend to call for her on Monday evening and drive her to his mother's home where he allegedly grabbed her mobile and deleted the recorded threads before beating and raping her.

“This was his way of teaching her a lesson,” Inspector Spiteri told the court, while objecting to the request for bail made by defence lawyer Malcolm Mifsud, who argued that his client could be placed under strict bail conditions.

The court, presided over by magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, turned down the request for bail in view of the serious nature of the offences and the man’s lack of trustworthiness.