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2 News maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2013 She once loved her father but now despises him CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 The girl finally reported her father to the police after confiding in a social worker. She had gone to her aunt's house after her father made her drink whisky. The following morning she was taken to the Fejda shelter for women. In court, the girl said her father had warned her to keep quiet about what was happening. She said that she once loved her father, but now she despised him for what he had done to her. Taking the witness stand, the victim's mother explained that she became aware of the abuse after her daughter spent a week at Fejda. She stated that she did not know her former husband was meeting her daughter until the child spoke up. The victim's older sister claimed her father had called her to tell her he was going to end up in prison. Although her younger sibling had never confided in her, the witness told the court how she had noticed her becoming nervous and constantly arguing with everyone. Magistrate Audrey Demicoli held that the girl had trusted her father enough to visit him without informing her mother. "The seriousness of the crime and the father's betrayal of the girl's trust calls for an effective jail term close to the maximum allowed by law," Demicoli said. The man was jailed for six years. The court issued a ban on the publication of the names of the accused and the victim. A psychologist explains there are many more children who are suffering right now, who are afraid, confused and unsupported enough to speak out. There are no set factors that define a paedophile. Most are men, and research does state that a number would have been molested and abused themselves as children. Paedophiles may also have a genetic predisposition to being sexually attracted to prepubescent children. However, these are not the only factors that create such a person. The recent news about how a father abused his daughter for years may be shocking, but what would be more shocking is the fact that And even more shocking is that this person will be back in society within six years, and because his problem does not go away – it is just being punished – he may well abuse again. A paedophile could be anyone, from an educated, trusted person in the community to a person with no job or real friends or family. A paedophile will often have a distorted way of thinking and have the capability of justifying their abuse, sometimes even believing that their abuse is an act of love, Paedophiles will only be concerned about their needs and will not have the capability of empathising or caring about the terrible experience the child is enduring. Long-term sexual abuse is often perpetrated by adults who are trusted by the child. Unfortunately, when the adult is a parent this makes the abuse even more traumatic. The person who is supposed to offer safety, love and security is the one who dominates controls and abuses. It is the responsibility of us adults to protect children, and it is the role of the people concerned to ensure that a paedophile does not repeat their behaviour. Strict and well-informed decisions need to be made, not in anger but rather supported with the right, objective information. Abroad, paedophiles are prescribed medication that decreases their sexual urges, fantasies and desires. Some are also prescribed medication that decreases testosterone production, which in turn also reduces the sexual drive. Cognitive behavioural therapy may work with some, but is not always effective, whilst constant monitoring of where a paedophile works and spends time in the community is necessary. Mariella Dimech Magistrate urges prosecution not to waste time Peralta chastises prosecution after learning witnesses had waited since 9am CHRIS MANGION AFTER the prosecution summoned 40 witnesses claiming they had been defrauded by notary Pierre Falzon, Magistrate Carol Peralta urged the prosecution to be more practical. Peralta asked why the police had not taken declarations under oath and presented them in court as evidence, rather than summoning all 40 witnesses. "Proceedings should be more practical and time saved by avoiding overlapping statements," Peralta said when presented with the witness list in a misappropriation case dating to 2011. "The court is bound to give the accused an expedited trial, and yet here I am, expected to listen to 40 witnesses all saying the same thing, while the accused awaits his fate," Peralta said. Inspector Anthony Ferris insisted he was only following the procedures set out by the Office of the Attorney General. The court eventually started hearing the testimony of six individuals who had been summoned at 9am. The hearing was carried out in the afternoon. The six witnesses all stated they had paid notary Pierre Falzon to cover legal searches, stamp duty and registration fees. It turned out, however, that the fees were not paid. In the majority of cases, Falzon eventually paid the fees, while in another case he promised to refund the money in the coming weeks. Subsequently, the court postponed the compilation of evidence to a later date. In February, Falzon was arrested in Marbella, Spain, on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant. The notary had not archived any contracts in the public registry since June 2000, meaning that the clients who had used his services since that year could not access contracts related to properties bought or inherited, as these are not available at the registry. Some clients even discovered that they had to pay the stamp duty on property acquired, as Falzon had never forwarded this money to the government. Falzon was released on bail in March, following his extradition to Malta. This case prompted the Nationalist administration to propose new amendments to the Notarial Act, requiring that all notaries open trust accounts, within which they deposit any funds that they hold on behalf of their clients.

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