Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1172208
NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 SEPTEMBER 2019 MATTHEW AGIUS A 63-year-old man was denied bail after he was charged with sexually molesting four young girls, the daughters of his sum- mer residence neighbours at Armier. Joseph Ebejer, a pensioner from Kirkop, was arraigned before magistrate Astrid May Grima yesterday, accused of corruption of minors, non-con- sensual sexual acts and offend- ing public morals in a public place. He was escorted into the court building in handcuffs, his head covered with a white t-shirt, as relatives of the alleged victims sat in the courtroom, wiping away tears. Police say the man, who has a previous conviction for corrupt- ing minors, had participated in sexual activities with one girl, aged just 10, and had corrupted her and the others, who are be- tween seven and 12 years old. He was also accused of commit- ting non-consensual sexual acts on the girls. Asked if he was contesting the validity of the arrest, Ebejer's lawyer Joseph Brincat said that "it had become futile to do so because today, all crimes and contraventions can give rise to arrest," remarking that in the judgment in Police vs Odette Micallef Et, an arrest is legal as long as the inspector has a rea- sonable suspicion. Inspector John Spiteri ex- plained to the magistrate that after a report was made to the police, who investigated and found reasonable suspicion of guilt, a request was made to the duty magistrate who then ordered the issuing of an arrest warrant. The court ruled the arrest valid and in line with the law. Ebejer pleaded not guilty to the charges. His lawyer asked the court to ban the publication of the name of the accused, as this could lead to the identifica- tion of the victims. It would not make a difference to the case, he said, as the case "would not be decided in village squares or on newspapers." Inspector Spiteri said he did not agree that the accused's name be withheld from publica- tion, arguing that it would not result in the identification of the girls and had no basis in law. Po- lice investigations indicated that that there could be more victims yet to come forward, added the inspector. Brincat counter-argued that the rest of the evidence would be heard behind closed doors and argued that it was discre- tional on the court to uphold the request for a ban. The court, after hearing the parties' submissions, ordered a ban on the publication of the children's names and that of their family members. The name of the accused is not sub- ject to the ban. Brincat then formally request- ed bail for the accused. The prosecution objected, pointing to the man's criminal record – he had already been convicted for corruption of minors. There were also a number of civilian witnesses yet to testify and it was premature for the court to release the accused on bail, Spiteri added. The court agreed that it was too early to speak of bail due to the young witnesses, and or- dered that the man be remand- ed in custody. Inspector Clayton Camilleri also prosecuted. Lawyers Ar- thur Azzopardi and Rene Dar- manin appeared parte civile for the victims. Pensioner charged with corruption of minors as young as seven Relatives of the alleged victims sat in the courtroom, wiping away tears • Police say investigations indicate more victims may come forward