Gaming worker accused of sexually assaulting his then partner
He also allegedly tried to choke the woman
A Finnish national has pleaded not guilty to groping his then partner and detaining her against her will while drunk.
The man, a 37-year-old igaming worker, is accused of committing non-consensual acts of a sexual nature on the woman, with whom he was in a relationship at the time of the incident.
The alleged incident took place in the early hours of April 8. The prosecution said that according to the report filed by the woman to the Domestic Violence Unit, the man returned to the couple's home, where she was sleeping. He tried to wake her up and touched her private parts even though she told him to stop. The man then grabbed one of her arms and tried to choke her with her own hand.
After the incident he sent her text messages in which he asked her about the police report, asked whether they could talk, and warned that she risked “fucking up” their careers.
Following the report, the police arrested the man at his workplace.
The man pleaded not guilty to the charges. The defence argued that the alleged victim did not have any visible injuries, which was unusual given the man is well-built and twice the size of the woman. On the other hand, the man had a bruise under his eye.
“He had been out with friends, one of whom was a woman, and she got jealous,” the defence said.
The prosecution countered that the absence of visible injuries did not mean the crime did not take place.
The defence requested bail, arguing that despite being foreign, the accused is not a flight risk and has no intention of absconding.
The prosecution objected, arguing that the woman had not yet testified and that there was a risk the man would tamper with the evidence.
Magistrate Antoine Agius Bonnici denied the request for bail, and ordered a ban on the publication of the victim’s name.
Lawyers Sharona Bonnici appeared for the prosecution, and Francois Dalli for the accused. Dianne Galea appeared for the victim.