61-year-old convicted of raping girl aged 10

A 61-year-old man from Birkirkara was this morning jailed for nine years after a court found him guilty of violently raping a 10-year-old girl.

He was also convicted of defiling the girl and committing a crime during the operative period of a suspended sentence.

The court heard how the man used to show the girl pornographic films. The man used to live in the same house and was the partner of the girl's mother.

The case was discovered after the girl sought help from the Appogg helpline and after she spoke to the school headmistress and the PSD teacher.

Social workers from Appogg had spoken to her and the police were called in. A care order was issued and the girl was moved to Angela House.

The man in a statement to the police said he had been living with the girl's mother for seven years and he admitted to sometimes having seen porn in the presence of the girl. He also admitted to having occasionally thrown things at her, such as a mug, but had never intended hurting her.

The man was jailed for seven years for rape and a two year suspended jail term for theft became effective.

The court ordered that names should not be published in the interests of the victim since the accused had spent years living with her mother and people could therefore identify her in that way.