Jailed for two years for defiling girl, 12

A 24-year-old Libyan national was jailed for two years today after he was found guilty of defiling a 12-year-old girl.

Murad Mohamed Atta, from St Pauls Bay was found guilty of defiling the girl but was acquitted of defiling and raping her 15-year-old sister.

The court found his flatmate Ashfar Abobakir Al Ash-hab, 25, not guilty on the same charges and cleared him.

The 12-year-old girl told police that her sister was having a sexual relationship with the two men and she was present at the time when these acts happened.

The two men were arrested some time after in an apartment in Bugibba.

The court heard the 15-year-old girl testify that she told the men she was 18. She added that Mr Murad Mohamed Atta and Mr Abobakir Al Ash-hab had said they wanted to get rid of her younger sister because she would land up giving them away. She told her younger sister to get a bus home and on arriving home she had gone to the police station to file a report.

The court took into consideration that men could not be charged with rape because from the testimony of the 15 year-old girl it resulted that it was consensual relationship. In fact, she told the court when prepositioned by the two young men she accepted.

The court said the charge of defilement on the 12-year-old stood, because the sexual advances on her older sister happened in her presence.