Man defiled two young girls for seven years

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.

One of the girls said she once thought she was pregnant by her father but, eventually this turned out to be a false alarm.

Eventually the girls opened up with a priest at school and he directed them to a guidance teacher. The magistrate heard a social worker explain how the father had told him that he had touched the girls and even had sex with them but that they had "assaulted" him.

On taking the witness stand, the adoptive father denied the allegations by the girls. The name of the man is not being published by court order to protect the identities of the minors.

Police Inspector Sharon Tanti prosecuted.