Two men charged with raping and trafficking a 14-year old homeless girl have been remanded in custody after denying the charges in court.

Ismael Alirou, 28, from Niger, was arrested and arraigned alongside Adama Tonkara, 28, from Mali. The two face multiple charges related to the trafficking, rape and corruption of the young girl.

They were also jointly charged with participating in sexual activity with a minor, selling her into prostitution and knowingly living off the earnings of prostitution.

Mr Tonkara was separately charged with being a recidivist as well as with driving without a licence.

The arrests reportedly came about after the police came across the homeless girl who told the officers of her predicament.

A request for bail by defence lawyer Noel Bartolo was strongly objected to by prosecuting officer Inspector Roxanne Tabone, who stressed the gravity of the offences and the fact that the two men had no fixed ties in Malta.

One of the men lived inside a Ħamrun garage together with some other eight persons, while his alleged partner in crime was homeless, the prosecution explained.

After hearing these submissions, duty magistrate Monica Vella turned down the request for bail.

The 14-year old alleged victim has meanwhile been taken into the care of social workers.