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maltatoday WEDNESDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2018 News 4 MATTHEW AGIUS SEVEN men have been de- tained on child pornography charges after an investigation by local police, acting in con- junction with Interpol. Police Inspectors John Spi- teri, Joseph Busuttil and Jus- tine Grech arraigned the men, two of whom admitted the charges, before magistrate Francesco Depasquale yes- terday, accusing them of pos- session and dissemination of child pornography. The men, all of whom can- not be named on the orders of the court, come from diverse backgrounds; one is a bank employee, another a chef, two students and an interior deco- rator were among the persons charged. The investigation was start- ed by a tip-off from Interpol, who had identified several in- dividuals, amongst them the accused, who would frequent child pornography internet sites. "This is a serious crime, which is fuelled by demand. The children who were harmed needed safeguarding too," Inspector Busuttil told the court. Inspector Spiteri submitted that the police had not yet identified the victims, "some of whom may be Mal- tese. The accused may know who they are," he said. Lawyer Franco Debono, ap- pearing as defence counsel to five of the accused, argued that supply and demand were not relevant to bail. The ac- cused was presumed innocent at this stage, he said, pointing out that the inquiring magis- trate had vast powers and that Interpol had already preserved the evidence. "Now that an inquiry has tak- en place, the evidence has been preserved. Don't come here and tell us they can change passwords." "I don't want to minimise the seriousness but bail should not be a subtle way of imposing punishment. At the centre of the criminal process is a hu- man, even the accused." The court however, denied the accused bail. One of the men accused, a 33-year-old Filipino aroma- therapist, is charged with dis- seminating one particularly disturbing video depicting a baby being raped. In that case, Inspector Spi- teri, a seasoned Vice Squad prosecutor said: "The charges are the same but may I just say that the content found in his possession is some of the most disturbing content I've ever seen. It includes sexual activity with newborn babies. He had not only received but transmitted this content. The person who filmed the content had been sentenced to death in the Philippines." Amongst the accused was a 20-year-old student from St Julian's. "This was an issue of curios- ity, not addiction," the court was told. Inspector Busuttil explained that this curiosity had led him to seeking out porn eve- ry day. "The accused has an acute porn addiction, not just to child porn involving 13-16 year olds." Debono asked the court to decide bail on individual mer- its. He agreed that the men needed help, which would not be served if they are impris- oned. "If the inspector is saying he needs help, I agree fully. We can appoint social workers, medical treatment." He disa- greed with detention as this would be counterproductive. The court, in view of the na- ture of the case and the fact that evidence is still being collected and that both par- ties said the accused needs assistance, denied bail, but or- dered the accused to be held at Mount Carmel Hospital's Forensic Unit and ordered the Probation services to give him all the assistance necessary and begin his treatment. The accused sat in the dock, stu- pefied while his mother, who was present in the courtroom, broke down in sobs. Yet another of the seven ac- cused today was a 37-year-old painter-decorator from Syria. He appeared in the dock still wearing his paint-spattered tracksuit. Lawyer Ludwig Caruana and Janice Borg requested bail for the man, but this was also de- nied. One of the seven arraign- ments included drugs charges. Inspector Spiteri explained that the dynamic of this case was different to the others in that the accused was found in possession of only one picture but in executing the search warrant police had found "a number of suspected illicit substances," including can- nabis and cocaine in circum- stances which denoted that it was intended for trafficking. He was accused of sharing the pornographic image of a mi- nor in a Facebook group chat Bail was objected due to a "manifest fear" that he would approach witnesses. Dur- ing submissions on bail, his lawyers, Veronique Dalli and Dean Hili argued that the al- leged incident had happened in 2016 and the evidence was preserved and transmitted to Malta from Europol. They also suggested the man's Facebook account had been hacked. "In the previous arraignment we had a collector of child porn, here we have a stupid moment, not necessarily his own as he had trouble with Facebook access at the time," Dalli argued. On the drugs charges, how- ever, the accused had admitted to them being for his personal use. The court, in view of the na- ture of the charges and the fact that witnesses are still to be heard, denied bail. Birzebbuga Local Council Dar Birzebbuga Triq Santa Marija Birzebbuga BBG1651 Tel: 21650165 Fax:21650444 BIRŻEBBUĠA Email: birzebbuga.lc@gov.mt The Birżebbuga Local Council notifies that during its next Council meeting, scheduled for Monday 12th March 2018, it shall be discussing the following bye-law: - Trailers and Other Encumbering Objects in the locality of Birzebbuga The general public is being informed that a copy of the mentioned bye-law will be made available at the Local Council's Offices which shall be receiving any suggestions/complaints up till noon of Friday 9th March 2018 Svetlick Flores Executive Secretary NAILZ REPUBLIC - NOW RECRUITING! We require 2 full time nail technicians to join our team. You must have basic experience with manicure / pedicure / nails extensions. Training will be given to the right candidate. Good basic wage and commissions. Send your CV to: NAILZ REPUBLIC, Gormar Ninu Cremona Street, Victoria, Gozo. Tel. 77700067 Seven charged over child pornography in Malta after Interpol investigation KURT SANSONE MALTA remained measles- free despite a Europe-wide surge of the disease last year, according to a surveillance re- port by the World Health Or- ganisation. Measles cases across Europe increased by 400% in 2017 with more than 20,000 people affected and 35 deaths. Cases were highest in Roma- nia, Italy and Ukraine, with 15 countries, including the UK, experiencing large outbreaks. Malta was declared measles and rubella-free in the 2016 report (covering 2015) and has maintained that situation due to its strong immunisa- tion programme. The MMR vaccine is given for free and forms part of the basic immu- nisation programme offered to all children born in Malta. In its latest disease surveil- lance report for 2017, WHO said declines in overall rou- tine immunisation coverage and low coverage among some marginalised groups was the primary cause of the measles outbreak. A study published in 2004 about a possible link between the MMR vaccine and autism has been discredited but the scare it created damaged some people's trust of the vaccine. Measles is a highly infec- tious viral illness that can be deadly and the MMR vaccine can prevent it. Neighbouring Italy has wit- nessed a big outbreak of mea- sles, prompting the govern- ment last year to introduce a law that made it incumbent on kindergarten schools and child care centres to accept only children who are vacci- nated. The law also imposed penalties on parents who did not vaccinate their children. Malta unscathed by measles surge in Europe In its latest disease surveillance report the World Health Organisation recorded a 400% increase in measles cases across Europe in 2017 • Malta has been measles-free since 2015 Malta's strong vaccination programme has helped eradicate measles and rubella from the island