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7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 18 JUNE 2025 NEWS Woman accused of stealing money and cheques from employer's home granted bail A woman charged with stealing €3,300 in cash and two cheques from her employer's home has been released on bail under strict conditions, following her arraignment. The incident came to light after the vic- tim filed a police report on 13 June, claim- ing that a sum of money and two cheques had gone missing from a safe inside her home. No signs of forced entry were found, so suspicion quickly fell on Char- maine Borg — the accused who regularly cleaned the property. Police summoned Borg for questioning, but she initially failed to appear and was subsequently arrested. The following day, she gave an audio-visual statement to in- vestigators. Borg pleaded not guilty to the charg- es. Her defence submitted a bail request, which was opposed by the prosecution on the grounds that the accused could poten- tially tamper with evidence or contact the victim. In response, the defence argued that the alleged incident took place in a private home and that Borg intended to request a protection order in favour of the alleged victim. They maintained this would pre- vent any interference with the case. The defence also highlighted that Borg had blocked the alleged victim on social media, refuting claims of harassment and stress- ing that Borg was deeply affected by the accusations. It was also revealed that the alleged victim had initially requested €300 from Borg, followed by a second demand for €3,000. The defence also noted that Borg is the mother of a 12-year-old boy who depends on her and that keeping her under arrest would harm both of them. After hearing submissions from both sides, the court granted Borg bail. She is prohibited from entering Luqa, must sign a register at the Żejtun Police Station twice a week, and is subject to a curfew requiring her to remain indoors between 10:00pm and 5:30am. A protection order was also issued in fa- vour of the alleged victim. Bail was set at €800 with a personal guarantee of €2,000. The accused is being defended by lawyer Yanica Barbara Sant. JAELLE BORG jborg@mediatoday.com.mt The court heard that after finding cash and two cheques missing from a safe, the alleged victim filed a police report and suspicions fell on the property's cleaner Pensioner charged with raping and abusing wife of 40 years A 69-year-old pensioner from Qormi has been denied bail af- ter being charged with multiple serious domestic abuse offences against his wife of 40 years. The man, a father of six, is ac- cused of repeated threats, psycho- logical terror, and sexual abuse, with the risk assessment describ- ing the situation as one of extreme danger. According to police reports, the accused became increasingly con- trolling and paranoid in recent months, exhibiting erratic and vi- olent behaviour. His wife reported that he had threatened to kill and bury her, often locking the doors of their yard to prevent neigh- bours from hearing her screams. He would assert dominance by saying: "I'm the man – you have to do what I say." The abuse allegedly included non-consensual sexual acts. The victim had stated in her report that although the couple did not share a bedroom, her husband would enter her room, undress her and force himself on her whenever he pleased. In one alarming episode, he al- legedly pressed a butter knife to her neck in a threatening man- ner. The woman's children, after learning of the abuse, confronted their father, who told them he re- gretted not stabbing their mother. In another chilling incident, the man reportedly picked up a knife in front of police officers, held it to his neck and said he wanted to take his own life. He was tempo- rarily admitted to Mount Carmel Hospital and has since been dis- charged. The accused pleaded not guilty. The defence requested a ban from the name which the court accept- ed. Meanwhile, the victim ex- pressed her wish to withdraw the charges and stated she would not testify on the merits of the case. However, the Attorney General's legal team insisted on hearing her explain why. The woman, giving testimony in court, described her emotional state when filing the police report as panicked. She said, "When I left the police station, I immediately regretted it. My husband is not ag- gressive – he just needs love and treatment. We've been married for 40 years. There's a huge void in the house without him. He has early dementia and paranoia." She also disclosed that one of their sons had recently been im- prisoned over drug offences, which she said contributed to her husband's mental state. The wom- an admitted to suffering from se- vere depression herself. When asked directly if her ini- tial report to police were true, she replied, "Yes and no – I used to overreact and provoke him." Re- garding the butter knife incident, she downplayed it, saying, "he was just trying to scare me, to look cool, it was only a knife used for butter." The Attorney General's lawyer reminded the victim that with- drawing the complaint would strip the court of the power to protect her. Asked if she felt in danger or needed protection, the woman replied instantly: "No." The court, however, did not ac- cept her request to halt proceed- ings. The magistrate noted that the victim demonstrated how emotionally vulnerable she was and how deeply attached she re- mained to her husband — even to the extent of blaming herself. Despite her change of heart, the court stated it could not ignore the serious nature of the allega- tions and the associated risk. A risk assessment concluded that the victim remained in ex- treme danger. The court cited the purpose of the law — to intervene and prevent escalation — and ruled that proceedings must con- tinue in the interest of justice and protection. The defence requested bail, proposing that the accused re- side with his son, who lives with his wife and their five-year-old daughter. However, the son ad- mitted he is not the legal owner of the property, as it belongs to his father-in-law. The Attorney General's of- fice raised concerns that this ar- rangement placed the accused in an "uncontrolled environment," where he could be expelled from the home at any moment. It was also emphasized that the accused would likely spend most of his time at the residence and that, under such an arrangement, his wife, the victim would be una- ble to visit the home — a point to which the son agreed. The court denied the bail re- quest, ordering temporary super- vision for the accused instead. The defence lawyer argued that incar- ceration could be more damaging to the accused due to his mental health condition, requesting he be held on the forensic side of prison. The court responded that this de- cision must be made by a medical professional. Prosecution is being led by At- torney General lawyers Jurgen Dalli and Jennifer Polidano, along with Inspector Christian Cauchi. The defence is represented by lawyer Cathleen Grima. JAELLE BORG jborg@mediatoday.com.mt