Man defiled two young girls for seven yearsA man has been jailed for six years for defiling his two Romanian adoptive daughters over a period of seven years in a crime which, the magistrate said, "gives society the shivers".
Although the man was essentially a first-time offender, Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera ruled that this did not mean she ought to be lenient as the court has to protect vulnerable citizens from such crimes. Magistrate Scerri Herrera heard how the man had originally been charged with the defilement and rape of his two adoptive daughters, both minors, on and before May 1998.
But, when the case documents were sent to the Attorney General's office, the rape charge was dropped. Neither did the AG charge the man with carrying out a repeated offence - a charge which could have increased the punishment.
The magistrate heard how the two girls were five and seven when they first were brought to Malta and were adopted. Both described how the abuse started from day one. It started with their adoptive father touching them, an abuse that led to penetration.
The girls told the court how this either happened in a bedroom or in the living room where he would lock the door. Both said that, when they refused to let him touch them, he would hit them in the head or slap them.