Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545412
7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 JUNE 2026 COURT Man admits sending indecent material to girl, 14 A 21-year-old businessman admitted in court to sending indecent photos and videos to a 14-year-old girl and inviting her to engage in sexual activ- ities. The court heard that the ac- cused had been chatting with the girl and, during the course of those exchanges, sent her indecent material. Accompanied by her fa- ther, she went to the Qawra police station to file a report. Police then tracked down the accused, arrested him at his home and brought him to court, where he admitted the charges. The defence informed the court that the accused had started attending sessions with a psychotherapist in an effort to address issues linked to the case. They also re- quested the preparation of a pre-sentencing report before punishment is handed down. A request for bail was made and upheld by the court. Among other conditions, the accused must sign the bail book twice a week, observe a curfew between 11pm and 6am and steer clear of the Buġibba area where the com- plainant resides. The court also ordered a publication ban on the accused's identity. The court also imposed a €2,000 deposit and an €8,000 personal guarantee. Inspectors Marshall Mallia and Warren Galea prosecut- ed, assisted by lawyer Cynthia Tomasuolo. Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri appeared for the accused. ĦALEY XUEREB hxuereb@mediatoday.com.mt A furniture dealer who pocket- ed thousands of euros in depos- its while failing to deliver kitch- ens, bedrooms and renovation works has been jailed for two years. In a judgment handed down on Tuesday, Magistrate Na- dine Sant Lia found 56-year-old Giordano Domenico Perucchini guilty of misappropriation. In 2023, Perucchini was charged after a number of dis- gruntled clients came forward claiming they had paid deposits for furniture that never materi- alised. As news of the proceed- ings spread, more clients came forward and turned to lawyer Mariah Mula, who filed a sec- ond set of complaints on their behalf. Those customers later told MaltaToday of what they de- scribed as police inaction. One customer, who had paid a €3,000 deposit for a kitchen, said she was left "dumbfounded" by the authorities' reluctance to pursue their complaints. The court heard how Pe- rucchini operated a furniture business known as Estea from a showroom near the Msida skatepark. Customers testified that the premises initially ap- peared professional and well- stocked, giving the impression that they were dealing with a reputable business. But by March 2023, one client noticed the state of the show- room had "started to deterio- rate and there was dirt". Other victims eventually found the showroom closed with "old mail abandoned on the floor". As deliveries failed to mate- rialise, clients were repeatedly fobbed off with excuses rang- ing from rough seas and lack of space on delivery trucks to claims that he had missed the catamaran or that the accused's wife was ill. Victims who got in touch with Italian supplier Arredo 3 were dealt another blow. The manu- facturer informed them that it had cut ties with Perucchini af- ter he had run up debts exceed- ing €40,000 and confirmed that some orders had never been placed. One victim testified that Arre- do 3 had branded Perucchini a "truffatore", Italian for fraud- ster. Another couple recount- ed how they had paid €7,400 in deposits only to receive incom- plete furniture months later. According to their testimony, Perucchini later let himself into their apartment using a key he had kept and fitted a bedroom set that appeared to be a used showroom model, complete with dents and signs of wear. Instead of the quartz surface they had paid for, they were giv- en a cheaper alternative. The husband testified that the furniture "ended up at their place simply because the ac- cused had the key to the apart- ment and just took them there without them knowing". The court also heard that Perucchini had admitted to police that he had used money collected from clients to pay the rent on his Pi- età residence. Meanwhile, his landlord testi- fied that the businessman had also fallen behind on rent for the Msida showroom, leaving arrears amounting to €6,600. Although the prosecution had also charged Perucchini with aggravated fraud, the court stopped short of finding that he had set up a wholly fictitious enterprise. The court noted that the ac- cused had operated from a physical showroom, held a VAT number and had occasionally delivered furniture. However, the court found that he had acted in bad faith by continuing to collect deposits long after he knew he could no longer honour customers' or- ders. "The bad thing the accused did is that when he knew, or should have known, that it was not possible to honour the or- ders, he not only failed to return the deposits but continued col- lecting more money from more people," the court observed. The magistrate also noted that Perucchini had squandered a "golden opportunity" to secure a more lenient sentence. In October 2025, he had prom- ised to compensate his victims but ultimately failed to follow through. Alongside the two-year prison term, the court ordered him to pay €29,250 in compensation to seven victims. He was also ordered to foot ex- pert costs amounting to €4,415. Lawyer Josè Herrera appeared for Perrucchini. Lawyer Mariah Mula appeared for the defend- ants. Furniture dealer jailed after string of customers left out of pocket Giordano Domenico Perucchini of Estea Furniture was arrested in 2023 after defrauding customers On one occasion, the dealer let himself in a client's house to install subpar furniture using a copy of their house key