Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1338076
7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 FEBRUARY 2021 NEWS KURT SANSONE A pensioner has been jailed eight years for forcing his young son to go with a prosti- tute because he 'did not want him to grow up gay'. The 65-year-old man from Siġġiewi was first charged five years ago after two prostitutes reported the case to child pro- tection agency, Appoġġ. He was accused of bringing prostitutes home to share with his seven-year-old son. The child is now 12. The court heard that the man did this because he "didn't want his son to be gay because he already had two gay family members". The man was charged by inspectors Joseph Busuttil and John Spiteri. Magistrate Audrey Demicoli presided. Inspector Busuttil testified that a woman who used to live with the accused had gone to the police and reported that he would take her to Marsa for prostitution. She had revealed that he would also force her to have sex with the child and had wanted to involve the boy in group sex acts with the woman. The police had then spoken to the boy in the presence of a so- cial worker. Inspector Busuttil told the court that during the course of that conversation, the child had given police rea- son to believe that code words had been agreed between the son and father for various sex acts. The boy's silence had been bought by threats of him being institutionalised if he revealed his father's depraved actions. Inspector Spiteri had testified that one of the women had told him that there had been times when the boy had not been able to obtain an erection and the accused had shouted at the boy, calling him "pufta" and lashing his back with an elec- trical cord. A prostitute had told the police that the man had also forced the child to have sex with other women, who sub- sequently confirmed it. Drugs would also be taken in the pres- ence of the child, the inspector added. Appoġġ had taken the child into custody and was homing him in care Pensioner who forced 7-year- old son to go with prostitutes is jailed for eight years The 65-year-old man forced his young son to go with prostitutes 'not to grow up gay'