Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/803478
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 26 MARCH 2017 9 News Police still to 'identify' migrant five weeks on from his suicide Interpol leads to arrest of photographer luring underage girls on lewd shoots JURGEN BALZAN THE body of the Ghanian national who committed suicide after his voluntary repatriation process was halted, has not yet been released by the police because "the identity of the corpse has not yet been es- tablished." Frederick Ofosu – a Ghanaian asylum seeker – committed sui- cide more than five weeks ago, but his body has not yet been released for a proper burial. A police spokesperson had told MaltaToday month ago that "the body will be released when the Magisterial inquiry is concluded and there is a correct identity." Ahmed Bugri, director for the Foundation for Shelter and Sup- port for Migrants – who has al- ready identified Ofosu together with a Ghanaian embassy official – told MaltaToday that the Gha- naian High Commission was co- operating with the authorities, even offering to put the police in contact with Ofosu's family and friends in Ghana. The police have also confirmed that an autopsy has been per- formed. However, despite all efforts being made the body has not been re- leased, and Bugri says he "cannot understand" the reasons why. Apparently, Ofosu left a recorded message for friends explaining his despair, saying he was being forced to feel like a criminal. Friends of Ofosu said his mental state had further deteriorated after govern- ment announced that it would not be renewing the THPn protection, a status for failed asylum seekers who have not been deported by the government. However, soon after Ofosu's death, home affairs minister Car- melo Ablea announced a U-turn on the suspension of THPn, saying that "irrespective of whether it's called THPn or something else, those who today enjoy THPn will continue to enjoy the benefits that come with it." Welcoming the reversal of the original plans to remove THPn, Bugri said "at least Frederic Ofo- su's death has served to change the state of affairs in terms of tem- porary protection for migrants." But the delay in releasing the mi- grant's body is being seen as a tac- tic to quell the anger which the su- icide generated, given that Ofosu's voluntary repatriation was stalled over a technicality relating to un- paid court fines on a separate case. Ofosu was found strangled with an electric cable in a Qawra build- ing site on Saturday, 18 Febru- ary and left a recorded message explaining why he killed himself. Abela has shed doubt on the exist- ence of the recording. Sources in the know say that in the recording, Ofosu apparently said he was being made to feel like a criminal, when he had done nothing wrong. In a press conference given three days after the suicide, Abela said the Ghanaian had been refused THPn status three times, and that in September 2016 he had applied for assisted voluntary return: a programme that grants returning migrants a financial support pack- age. But the process had to be halted, due to pending fines he had yet to pay on a 2016 court case when Ofosu was accused of damaging his rented apartment in St Paul's Bay. In the proceedings however, Ofosu said that his attempts to go back to Ghana were being ham- pered by excessive bureaucracy and told the court that he inten- tionally smashed the furniture of his rented apartment in a desper- ate cry for attention to his plight. He was handed a suspended one-year prison sentence and or- dered to pay an €800 fine. He was also ordered to pay the landlord €2,115. Ofosu came to Malta to flee ex- treme poverty and worked for a number of years, but after he lost his job he was faced with a number of demands from the authorities, including documentation he could not provide. jbalzan@mediatoday.com.mt PAUL COCKS A Zebbug photographer yesterday pleaded not guilty to charges of having sexual acts with a 14-year- old girl after having used Facebook to lure her to a photo shoot. 36-year-old Michael Kingswell was remanded in custody after charges were filed against him. Police inspector Jsoeph Busut- til said Interpol had informed the police in Malta that a local IP (in- ternet protocol) address was being used to download pornographic photos of children from a well- known website. The police identi- fied Kingswell after tracing the IP address. Further police investigations re- vealed that Kingswell, a photog- rapher, had used the social media platform Facebook to contact mi- nors over the age of 14 and offered them lewd photo sessions. While testifying in court, Busut- til said that Kingswell used to send the girls he targeted photos of nude teens performing lewd acts, and offer to take similar photos of them. If any of the girls turned him down, he would then offer them a 'normal' photo shoot. Police investigations also re- vealed that Kingswell had also of- fered a glass of wine to some of the girls during their photo sessions. They charged the photographer with engaging in sexual acts with one of the young victims. Duty magistrate Aaron Bugeja remanded Kingswell in custody af- ter the man's lawyer, Arthur Azzo- pardi, did not ask for bail. Busuttil said that information ob- tained from the girls interviewed during the investigation into King- swell's activities had led them to another photographer, who also used Facebook to approach young girls who had posted sexually sug- gestive pictures of themselves. Roberto Rizzo, 37, from Marsas- cala, was also arraigned yesterday and charged with luring underage girls to indecent photo shoots, some of which were actually alleg- edly carried out. Rizzo is a civil servant and works as a part-time photographer. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and his lawyer, Roberto Montalto, insisted that the use of the word "victims" was questionable since the photo shoots were consensual and his client had admitted taking them. The court denied the defence's request for bail and remanded Rizzo in custody, after the police said they feared Rizzo might try to influence the girls who were ex- pected to testify. Frederick Ofosu's body has not yet been released for a proper burial, angering friends who want to bid the Ghanian a proper farewell