Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1514242
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 JANUARY 2024 NEWS A man from Mtarfa has been re- manded in custody, accused of sexually abusing his two under- age daughters over a period of several years. His wife, who was also charged with physical abuse and cruel treatment for the same period today, was also refused bail. The couple's daughters are now 13 and 18 years of age, with the eldest only turning 18 today. Inspectors Godwin Scerri and Wayne Buhagiar arraigned the pair, who are not being named in terms of a court order aimed at protecting the children from secondary victimisation, sepa- rately. The court was told that the abuse had only come to light thanks to a report filed by the mother of one of the children's friends, to whom she had opened up to about the abuse while attending a sleepover at the friend's house. First to be charged was the 43 year-old father, a deliveryman, who appeared before magis- trate Abigail Critien accused of corrupting minors who were also his blood relatives, sex- ually corrupting minors who were in his care, committing a non-consensual act of a sexual nature on the daughters and subjecting them to unwanted acts of physical intimacy. The mother was charged with cruelty and mistreatment, as well as with preventing the children from giving informa- tion or evidence required in court proceedings, to the au- thorities. The court issued protection orders in favour of the two al- leged victims, prohibiting the defendants from approaching or attempting to communicate with the two daughters. Legal aid lawyer Martin Far- rugia asked for bail on behalf of the father. "We cannot for- get that my client is first of all protesting his innocence and is presumed innocent, so one must see at this stage on what grounds his liberty would be restricted." He had a fixed ad- dress and strong ties to Malta and the protection order was sufficient to safeguard the in- terests of society. Bail was denied due to the risk of the defendant tamper- ing with evidence, the nature of the crime he was being ac- cused of, as well as because the alleged victims had not yet tes- tified. Prosecutor Darlene Grima assisted the prosecution in the proceedings against the father. The two police inspectors arraigned the mother next, explaining that she had been arrested in identical circum- stances to the father, on the strength of a warrant. The 42 year-old woman also pleaded not guilty to the charg- es and requested bail. The prosecution objected to her re- lease from arrest. Inspector Scerri explained that although the charg- es against the mother were less grave than those pressed against her husband, there were still vulnerable witnesses who lived in the same residence as her and who were therefore at risk of subornation. Farrugia argued that there was no justification for depriv- ing the woman of her liberty. "Before this court considers a bail request, it must first assess whether it had sufficient tools available to ensure the good behaviour of the person ac- cused," submitted the lawyer. "If these tools exist then the prosecution's objections come to nothing." The court, however, also re- jected the mother's bail re- quest, on the same grounds as the father's. Court denies bail to Mtarfa couple accused of abusing underage daughters A man accused of sexually abusing his underage daughters, and his wife - who was charged with physical abuse and cruel treatment - denied their charges MATTHEW AGIUS magius@mediatoday.com.mt Despite low terror threat on Malta, MSS vigilant on radicalisation of youths CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Malta registered a low threat of terrorism in 2022, suggest- ing the island's reputation for safety remains intact despite geopolitical tensions in nearby Mediterranean countries. Malta's Security Service (MSS) said in its annual report for 2022 that while terror at- tacks in Malta are possible, ev- idence concerning capacity or presence of terror cells on the island suggest this was as yet improbable. "Locally there have been no reports, yet the level of threat in the EU remains high, with member states suffering at- tacks of a low level of complex- ity, which it itself raises the threat level," the MSS said in a report tabled in the House of Representatives. The MSS said such unsophis- ticated terror attacks made them impervious to detection. "In the light of these new de- velopments, Malta's strategy against terror is being reviewed and updated in a bid to prevent similar acts. Prevent Network Malta, operational since 2018, is widening knowledge shar- ing beyond Malta through its participation in workshops on radicalisation, violent extrem- ism, and other sensitive areas." The MSS added that it had collaborated with foreign agen- cies in the prevention of terror attacks in other countries, pay- ing tribute to this cooperation as a matter of long-term invest- ment for the MSS. The MSS said in terms of ter- ror threats, the main actors re- main Islamic Jihadists, as well as far-right terrorists and simi- lar anti-state actors. The latter actor was especially novel, the MSS said. "The phe- nomenon of violent extremists against the system or govern- ments, unaffiliated to any ide- ology, marries a modus oper- andi to religious or ideological and non-ideological narratives. Indeed such individuals with- out any clear affiliation with a terror group, appear to be the greatest threat, many of them having clear mental health problems." The MSS also said that giv- en Malta's proximity to war- torn countries in North Africa, chiefly Libya, it was necessary to remain vigilant against the radicalisation of vulnerable persons, especially youths. "This is a very delicate chal- lenge because it is hard to de- tect people who have been radicalised or recruited online. It is important to be prepared for any eventuality. Vigilance and preparedness are vital to a country's and its citizens' safe- ty and security, for its foreign interests, and its economic wellbeing." In 2023, seven young peo- ple from Syria faced terror- ism related charges, including teaching others how to use explosives and firearms. Aged between 21 and 27, the men were arrested in an operation that also involved Europol, the European law enforcement agency. Malta registered a low threat of terror in 2022, but Malta Security Services says prevention of online radicalisation needs to be at the forefront of its terrorism preparedness