Ex police officer handed suspended sentence, fine for revenge porn
Officer shared nudes of woman with third parties
A 27-year-old former police constable was handed a suspended sentence and fined €4,500 after he pleaded guilty to revenge porn charges.
Clyde Bajada was accused of sharing intimate photos of the woman without her consent, and misusing electronic equipment.
The charges were further aggravated by the fact that he was a police constable at the time, and as a public official he was duty bound to prevent the commission of the crime.
In court, it emerged that the woman and her husband reported Bajada at Qawra Police Station on September 19, 2024 after they became aware that Bajada had shared intimate photos of the woman with third parties.
The woman told the police that she had bought a bicycle for her son from Bajada and that they had gone on a date and had a sexual relationship. Bajada then asked her for nude photos, which she sent. Her husband discovered the woman’s relationship with Bajada, and that the accused shared the photos the wife had sent with third parties.
The woman’s husband confronted Bajada, who in turn revealed that he had sent the photos to three individuals, whom he identified.
Bajada was eventually arraigned under summons before the Court of Magistrates on Gozo.
He had initially denied the charges, and changed the plea in January 2026.
In its considerations, the court observed that the man had no previous convictions but it could not ignore that the man was a police officer at the time of the offence, and so made the crime more serious since he was duty bound to prevent it.
It also considered that the case had serious implications and could impact the public’s trust in the police and undermine their work.
The man was handed a one-year jail term suspended for two years. He was fined €4,500 and ordered to pay €1,161.60 in court expenses. A three-year restraining order was issued in favour of the woman.
Magistrate Jean Paul Grech presided over the Court of Magistrates on Gozo.
Police inspectors Mario Xiberras and Jessica Bezzina prosecuted.