Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1473976
NEWS 5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 20 JULY 2022 THE National Development and Social Fund and Richmond Foundation have formally signed an agreement award- ing a social grant towards a project that will provide a therapeutic programme of specialised care for children with severe and challenging behaviour conditions. Kids in Development (K.I.Ds) is a resi- dential therapeutic programme for chil- dren aged seven to thirteen who have been severely affected by early trauma, in the form of any type of abuse and/or severe neglect. These experiences usual- ly result in the children developing se- vere challenging behaviour that effects the child in all areas of their life such especially in developing meaningful re- lationships with others. Run by Richmond Foundation, the K.I.Ds Programme provides these chil- dren with a nurturing and stimulating environment, and positive experiences from which they may build confidence and resilience. The total capital expenditure for the new premises, which has a total area of 535 sqm, is projected to be around €1,170,000, which will be mainly fi- nanced through NDSF's social grant of €700,000. The facility was carefully designed to facilitate the running of the programme. It will include an administrative and therapeutic area, an outdoor area for recreational activity, spacious bedrooms for children, and a kitchen and living ar- ea. The entire indoor premises will be equipped with air conditioning. NDSF to help fund Richmond Foundation's Kids In Development project MATTHEW AGIUS TWO French students' summer studying English in Malta has cost them more than they bargained for, after they were convict- ed of causing criminal damage to the block of flats where they were being put up by a Maltese family. Inspector George Frendo arraigned nurse Anna Laguibre, 24 and estate agent Tarkan Deffrasnes, 23, both from Bordeaux before magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras, accus- ing them of causing €4,559 worth of dam- age to the lift which served the Ta' Xbiex apartment block where the host family lived. The court was told that the Ta' Xbiex host family was the second family asked to host the pair by their language school, af- ter they got into trouble with their original host family. Inspector Frendo told the court that the incident had been captured on CCTV, explaining that the pair had apparent- ly grown impatient whilst waiting for the owner to arrive and had damaged the lift serving the block, as well as the front door. Lawyer Daniel Attard, appearing on be- half of the accused said they were both pleading guilty to the solitary charge of criminal damage, with the court warning them that they could potentially go to pris- on for the offences. The Inspector confirmed that the prose- cution was not insisting on imprisonment and suggested that the accused be ordered to pay for the damage and issue an apology. A suspended sentence was mooted, but parte civile lawyer Dean Hili pointed out that this would not force them to pay for the damage before they fly home on Friday. The defence confirmed that the accused had sufficient funds to pay and would pay for the damage within two days. The accused told the court that they would not object to being accompanied by the police to an ATM, but this was re- jected because of cash withdrawal limits. Their lawyer suggested that their parents could wire the money from France by bank transfer within 24 hours. Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras, in view of the circumstances of the case, the accused's willingness to pay for the dam- age caused and their early guilty plea, sen- tenced the students to 18 months in pris- on, suspended for four years and ordered them to pay for the damage within 48 hours. Failure to pay would render the sus- pended sentence executable, the students were warned. Students admit to causing €4,500 worth of damage to host family's apartment CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 THE security agency had re- fused Degiorgio's request for a copy of the warrant in question, a refusal deemed justified by the court at both first instance and the Constitutional court. It was only during the ap- peal filed by MSS against that judgement, before the Consti- tutional Court, that the agen- cy changed tack and agreed to submit should the court order it to exhibit the warrant for ev- identiary purposes. This fact was also pointed out by the judges, who noted that while the head of MSS had told the first court the law prohib- ited him from exhibiting the warrant, leading that court to reject Degiorgio's request for the presentation of the doc- ument, during the hearing of the appeal, the MSS chief had reversed his position, stating that he would comply with a court order to exhibit the war- rant. But this volte-face by MSS was met with suspicion by De- giorgio's lawyer, who had filed an application the next day, requesting the court revoke its order, suggesting that any warrant exhibited would be unlikely to be genuine and ar- guing that his client "will nev- er have peace of mind that the documents exhibited represent the truth." "This Court gave a clear or- der on 20 July 2020 and at this stage, it has no reason to change the position it had tak- en, that the onus of proof was on the head of MSS. The plain- tiff complains that this court did not remain independent and impartial and did the job of the head of MSS when it ordered him to exhibit the documents that he had been supposed to exhibit before the court of first instance," argued Degiorgio's lawyer, William Cuschieri. In a decree handed down on Monday, the Constitutional Court, presided by Chief Jus- tice Mark Chetcuti, Mr. Jus- tice Giannino Caruana Demajo and Mr. Justice Anthony Ellul responded to Degiorgio's ap- plication, which had been filed the day after the same judges had ruled it was essential that they be shown the warrant in question before handing down judgement. "In fact, before the first court it had been the plaintiff him- self who requested the head of MSS exhibit the warrant. On the other hand, the position of the head of MSS changed at the appeal stage, as previously ex- plained," said the judges. "This court cannot discard such a development taking place at the appeal stage, ir- respective of what it had said in its decision of the 20th Ju- ly 2020, with reference to the application filed by the plain- tiff before the first court, in which he had requested it or- der the head of MSS exhibit the warrant about which he had testified during the sitting of January 8, 2020. A stage at which the head of MSS was still refusing to exhibit the relative documents. "Although the plaintiff argues that now that the documents had been exhibited, he would not have the opportunity to en- sure that they reflect the truth, the court disagrees. The plain- tiff will be given the opportuni- ty to see the documents exhib- ited by the head of MSS and, afterwards, make the requests he deems are necessary to his interests." The judges also rejected an- other argument put forward by Degiorgio - that the documents were not crucial to the case, because his complaint was also directed at certain dispositions of the Security Service Act - ruling that they were indeed relevant to his complaint about their legality. The Constitutional Court therefore denied the plaintiff's request to revoke its 4 May de- cree. Security Service volte-face on warrant met with suspicion by Degiorgio