Man accused of rape and stalking granted bail
Prosecution point at accused's 'lengthy' criminal record and previous bail breach
A man charged with raping, stalking and harassing a woman has been released on bail.
Joseph Zahra, 43, from Ħal Far is accused of rape, sexual assault, causing the woman to fear him, stalking and harassing her, threatening and assaulting her between March 2025 and March 2026.
On Wednesday, his lawyers filed a request for bail.
During submissions, prosecutors argued that while the main witness had testified, and so there was no fear of evidence tampering, the accused still held a lengthy criminal record and had previously breached bail.
The defence argued that the accused had strong ties to the country and would not abscond. Moreover, the previous convictions referred to by the prosecutors were handed down a decade earlier.
The magistrate granted the accused bail, subject to a €5,000 deposit and €19,000 personal guarantee.
The accused must sign a bail book daily and obey an 8pm curfew.
Attorney General Lawyer Jurgen Dalli is prosecuting with the assistance of police inspectors Marshall Mallia, Wayne Buhagiar and Antonello Magri.
Lawyers Franco Debono and Herman Mula represented the accused.