Catechist used fake profiles to lure boys into sending nudes, court told

Updated at 6.20pm with Curia announcement that the accused has been suspended by the MUSEUM society.

A 56-year-old man has been accused of using fake profiles on Facebook to lure boys to send him naked photos of themselves.

William Mark Camilleri, a catechist and laboratory technician, is alleged to have contacted 80 children using the fake profiles. He convinced eight of those boys to send him naked photos, prosecutors allege.

A cathecist is lay member of the Catholic Church who teaches people about the principles of the religion. 

Camilleri stands accused of defiling a 13-year-old boy, asking for sexual favours, and subjecting him to sexual acts, among a raft of charges that also include accessing or possessing child porn. He is pleading not guilty.

A court heard that the accused used social media profiles bearing the names “Tanya Borg” and “Kevin Kevinu” to contact children online.

The police began investigating after the parents of a 13-year-old boy filed a report, saying they had found their son chatting with a Facebook profile named “Tanya Borg”.

The person had convinced the boy to send naked photos of himself and make certain indecent acts. The person had also elicited other information from the child, including his address and school, and had also proposed to meet.

Police tracked down the accused using the IP address used by the fake profile.

An inquiry was launched.

So far, the police have established that Camilleri allegedly made use of two fake profiles, however, investigations are still ongoing and a prosecutor told the court there may have been more.

The court upheld a request to ban publication of the victim’s name but turned down a request to ban publication of the accused’s identity. It ordered that the names of the two fake profiles Camilleri is known to have used be published.

Lawyer Julia Micallef Stafrace requested bail. She argued that her client takes care of his father, who has health issues. She also underlined that he has a job.

The prosecution once again objected, highlighting that there was fear he would tamper with evidence and the investigation was still ongoing. After hearing the submission, the court denied the man bail.

A protection order was issued in favour of the victim and his parents.

A recommendation was made to the prison director to ensure that the accused is given his medical treatment.

Magistrate Nadia-Helena Vella presided.

AG lawyers Cynthia Tomasuolo and Kristina Bartolo prosecuted, assisted by police inspectors Marshall Mallia and Wayne Buhagiar. Lawyer Julia Micallef Stafrace assisted the accused.

Curia: The catechist has been suspended

The Church’s Safeguarding Commission in a statement late on Monday afternoon said that the Society of Christian Doctrine (MUSEUM) had suspended the catechist 'with immediate effect'.

"While the Safeguarding Commission has not received any information at this stage indicating that an offence took place either as a direct result of Mr Camilleri’s role as a catechist or on premises belonging to the Church or the Museum – the existing charges in court relate solely to his alleged use of fake Facebook profiles to establish connections with minors – it will be conducting its own investigation to explore the matter further and make recommendations to the Church authorities," the commission said.

It stressed that the safety and wellbeing of minors and vulnerable persons within Church structures is a top priority and urged anyone who may have concerns or relevant information to contact the police directly or reach out to the Commission on info@safeguarding.mt.