Three holidaying Estonians were yesterday charged with brutally beating an 18-year-old Russian girl in a sex attack during which she allegedly suffered fractures and cigarette burns and was also bitten.

The details of the violence emerged in court when Roman Ljasnikov, 30, Allan Schmidt, 32, and Aleksei Ivanov, 31 were charged with holding the girl against her will, seriously injuring her and indecently assaulting her in St Pauls Bay on Monday evening. Police Inspector Therese Sciberras told the court the woman, who lives in Malta with her parents, was lured to the trio’s apartment by one of them saying they wanted information on the island. When she arrived at the third floor flat, the men, who were drunk, locked her inside, beat her up, burnt her with cigarettes, bit her and tried to sexually abuse her when she refused sex, the officer added.

She attracted the neighbours’ attention when she managed to make it to the balcony and scream for help.In their statements to the police, the accused admitted to being drunk and wanting sex. However, they denied beating her up, Ms Sciberras said, as she discussed their lawyer’s request for bail with Magistrate Gabriella Vella.

Legal aid lawyer, Joseph Ellis said that once the victim was in hospital, there was no fear of any of the accused contacting her and, so, it would be appropriate to grant bail.

However, the magistrate remanded the three men in custody after taking into consideration the fact they have no legal ties to the island and were only here on holiday.