Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/506094
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 MAY 2015 4 News Father cleared of paedophilia charges in bitter custody battle MATTHEW AGIUS THE father of a young girl and his brother were cleared of charges of having sexually abused the girl, after a court held that the allegations were a narrative which the girl had been made to tell by the father's estranged partner. The girl's mother had told the court that in 2007, the girl – who was not yet 12 years old at the time – stopped eating properly, started to suffer night terrors and began performing "pelvic thrusts" on her dolls. She said she was concerned and had taken her daughter to two psychologists, a priest and Appogg agency, calling the police after she was informed by one of the psychologist that abuse "was a possibility". However, she said, the police had informed her that they were pow- erless to intervene, as there was no proof. The child's odd behaviour re- turned in June of the following year, the mother said, adding that she had taken her daughter to see another psychologist after she had observed her to be performing sex acts on her- self, using a handheld torch and re- moving her trousers to allow the pet dog to lick her intimate areas. The girl herself had given evidence during court proceedings, via video- conferencing, telling the court how her uncle had forced her to perform oral sex on him during a visit to her paternal grandparent's house. He would also take her to his room and lock the door, she said, making her perform similar acts and watch por- nography with him. The two men had denied the story in its entirety, the father adding that he had a very good relationship with his daughter, whom he would visit, under supervision. He claimed that during the period when he had been living with his wife, she had copied a diskette con- taining pornographic material onto his computer "to put him in a bad light with the Police". After the girl's testimony was read out to him, he pointed out that she could not have walked in on him and his brother while watching X-rated films, as had been alleged, because the door of the room in question was made of transparent glass and the door had no lock. He would never use such material in his daughter's presence, he said, claiming that the real motive for his wife taking their daughter to psychologists was to cut him off from her. The father's new partner corrobo- rated his version of events, in which he claimed that the child had come across indecent images on the in- ternet after mis-spelling "horse" as "whores" – a fact which earned her a stern telling-off from the father. At the request of his defence team, two psychologists had been appoint- ed by the court to compile a psycho- logical evaluation of the uncle. The profile which emerged, according to the report, was not one of a person who would engage in paedophilia. In her judgment acquitting the accused, Magistrate Audrey Demi- coli noted that the mother had been shown to have placed the child un- der undue pressure by taking her to various psychologists, priests and social workers, forcing her to explain her behaviour. In the opinion of the court, the fact that the minor's ac- count of the events was made while her parents were fighting a custody battle over her had also caused the girl to be under considerable pres- sure. In addition to this, gaps and incon- sistencies between the girl's testi- mony and the account which she had given to social workers and psycholo- gists made the court question the ve- racity of her claims and suspect that she was simply parroting a narrative given to her by third parties. While it was possible that the child has been momentarily and acciden- tally exposed to hardcore pornog- raphy which was being viewed by the child's father and uncle, said the court, this fact did not constitute the crime as charged. The names and identifying charac- teristics of all parties involved have been withheld on the court's order. PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIAT FOR AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND ANIMAL RIGHTS Call for Tenders The Plant Health Directorate notifies that offers from interested parties will be received for: v Advt. No. MSDEC 41/2015. Design, printing and delivery of leaflets, billboards, booklets and the design and logo and website for the project on the study and sustainable conservation of varieties of local plants. (Tender document is free of charge) v Advt. No. MSDEC 42/2015. Supply, delivery and installation of labels and information panels for the project on the study and sustainable conservation of varieties of local plants. (Tender document is free of charge) v Advt. No. MSDEC 47/2015. Supply, delivery, installation and commissioning of LED screens, interactive projector, blue-ray DVD player, and energy efficient touchscreen computers for the project on the study and sustainable conservation of varieties of local plants. (Tender document is free of charge) v Advt. No. MSDEC 48/2015. Repair and point of existing wall for the project on the study and sustainable conservation of varieties of local plants. (Tender document obtainable at a fee of € 20) Sealed tenders will be received at the MSDEC, Permanent Secretariat Offices, Procurement and Supplies Directorate, 6, Triq Hal Qormi, Sta. Venera up to 10.00 am of Friday 8 th May, 2015. Tender documents may be downloaded from the Ministry's website (www.msdec.gov.mt) or collected from the MSDEC Procurement and Supplies Directorate from Monday to Friday from 0830 to 1200 till closing date.