A man was remanded in custody on Saturday afternoon after facing charges for having allegedly raped his nine-year-old daughter three times over.

Suspicions about the man, a 49-year-old German father of two, were first triggered by a remark made by his seven-year-old daughter during a lesson at school.

The girl’s comment appeared to indicate that she could be experiencing suicidal thoughts.

The teacher promptly referred the matter to a school counsellor who spoke to the child.

That was when the girl opened up about how she allegedly had witnessed her nine-year-old sister being sexually abused by their father.

When spoken to, the elder girl confirmed her sister’s allegations, describing three separate instances when the alleged abuse took place.

The matter was reported to Child Protection Services who, in turn, alerted the police vice squad.

An arrest warrant was issued against the suspect.

He was arraigned on Saturday afternoon, pleading not guilty to the repeated rape of his daughter who was a vulnerable person living within the same household as the accused.

The man was also charged with holding the victim against her will, committing a non-consensual sexual act against the minor, defilement of the child who is under 16, subjecting her to acts of physical intimacy as well as causing her to fear violence.

The court, presided over by Magistrate Ann Marie Thake, remanded the accused in custody.

The man’s lawyer did not request bail at arraignment stage.

The court issued a ban on the names of both the accused and the victim.

AG lawyer Cynthia Tomasuolo and Inspector Wayne Buhagiar prosecuted.

Legal aid lawyer Ilona Schembri was defence counsel.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi, Jacob Magri and Maria Claire Ellul are appearing parte civile.