Justin Haber found guilty of sexually harassing 14-year-old girl, avoids prison
He was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, suspended for four years
Former national team goalkeeper Justin Haber was found guilty of sexually harassing a teenage girl from the ages of 14 to 16.
In a judgment handed down by Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, she sentenced the 44-year-old to two years' imprisonment suspended for four years, as well as a €7,000 fine.
He was also handed a restraining order in favour of the victim for three years. Haber's name will also be on the offenders' register.
Haber was arrested in October 2022 near Corradino's football ground and was later charged with offences that took place between 2020 and 2022. He pleaded not guilty.
The victim, whose name has been banned by the court, was employed as a waiter at an establishment in Marsaxlokk, where Haber was her boss.
The investigation began in 2022, when police inspector Kylie Borg received an anonymous complaint about Haber from a teenager who had gone to Aġenzija Appoġġ.
The victim had anonymously shared a screenshot of Haber asking her to send a photo of her breasts when she was 14.
The victim had told the police that Haber used to grab her buttocks, kiss her neck, and trick her into kissing his lips by asking for a kiss on the cheek and then turning his face at the last second.
She added that Haber also proposed that she should lose her virginity with him. Once he asked her to come over to his place after work, and another time he said they should go out on a boat together.
The victim did not give him an answer at the time, as she said she was scared he would get mad if she rejected him. She also said that she did not leave her job as she needed the money.
When Haber testified under police interrogation, he denied ever requesting nude pictures of the victim or ever asking her to have sex with him. He did, however, admit to kissing her on the lips once, slapping her buttocks, and asking whether she was a virgin.
While testifying in court, Haber said that if he ever touched the victim's buttocks, it was accidental. And regarding the kiss on the lips, he went against what he told the police and denied ever tricking her into kissing his lips.
The magistrate said that at no point did the accused offer a proper explanation for his actions.
"He always maintained that the work environment was friendly, where they felt like a family. This is certainly not a legitimate defence for sexually harassing someone, especially when that person is under 15 years of age," the magistrate said.
The magistrate added that she was not convinced by his argument that she instigated these encounters and pointed out that the accused himself had admitted that he crossed the line at times.
Earlier this year, Haber was handed a restraining order after a court found him guilty of threatening to behead his sister. Shortly after, he resigned as a Floriana councillor on behalf of the Labour Party.
The former national team goalkeeper returned to football in August, joining Hibernians.
Police inspector Kylie Borg prosecuted, lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri, and Anthea Bonnici Zammit assisted Haber.