'Rapist!': Woman tells court of shock after realising she had been attacked

A woman who claims she was raped while intoxicated in Paceville has testified that her alleged rapist smiled as she screamed in realisation at what he had done to her.

The 20-year-old British woman said she had blacked out after drinking and then being jolted into consciousness upon feeling a “really sharp pain”, with the accused behind her.

Her next memory was walking around the street outside the beach "like a zombie." She noticed she had blood on her finger, underwear and top, and realised she had been anally raped. 

"Rapist! Rapist,” she screamed.

The alleged incident dates back to October 22, 2025 and the woman was testifying against Jorge Marcelo Villalobos Abanto, a 25-year-old Peruvian national who is pleading not guilty to several serious sexual offences allegedly committed that night, as well as raping another woman in a restaurant in Valletta on August 31.

The witness, who was visiting Malta at the time, explained that the incident began around midnight, as she was walking near the Paceville steps heading home to Cospicua, when she met a group of five people she did not know.

She was quite drunk and they appeared to be intoxicated too, she said.

The group consisted of three Hungarians (two men and a woman), one Maltese man, and the accused.

The woman struck up a conversation with the Hungarian woman in the group and they all began walking together.

The group stopped at a grocery store, and Villalobos Abanto and the Maltese man went inside to purchase drinks, while the women waited outside.

Upon exiting, the accused suggested going to the beach. The victim said she was hesitant but ultimately decided to join them.

From drinks to a "memory gap"

The group sat on a rocky beach and some of them began smoking cannabis. The victim declined an offer to smoke. The witness said Villalobos Abanto was flirting heavily with the Hungarian woman, who was heavily intoxicated.

She said she warned him to “be careful” as the Hungarian woman was very drunk. Villalobos Abanto allegedly replied “And what are you going to do about it?"

She drank some wine and beer with the group.

"All I remember is talking to the Maltese guy, and then I have a really big memory gap," the witness testified. "I don’t really remember after the drinks."

Blood found on fingers, underwear and top

The victim's next memory was waking up to a "really sharp pain" from behind. She found herself a few steps away from the rocky area, surrounded by bushes and facing a fence, with Villalobos Abanto positioned directly behind her.

After turning around to see the accused, her memory blanked again.

She then recalls walking on the street near the beach and discovering blood on her finger, her underwear and top.

Upon spotting Villalobos Abanto again in the street, she began screaming at him repeatedly. The accused looked at her, smiled and walked away, she said.

 A stranger intervenes

The woman testified that she tried to explain what had happened to a bystander who saw her crying and tried to calm her down.

The following day, she tracked down the accused’s Instagram profile with the help of the Hungarian girl.

Armed with his photograph, she reported the accused to the police that afternoon.

 When asked by the prosecution if she had been examined by a doctor, the victim stated that the following day, she went to a medical centre, where medical professionals informed her that she was suffering from an anal fissure and had bruising under her leg.

The victim further stated that, two days after the incident, she saw the accused again in Valletta.

Cross-examination

During cross-examination, the victim confirmed in response to defence questioning that she did not know anyone in the group.

She noted that the other girl appeared more intoxicated than her, explaining that she accompanied the group to the rocky beach because she was "worried about the drunk girl, being alone with the men in the dark around midnight."

When asked how the accused shifted his attention from the Hungarian girl to her, given her previous statement that she later found herself in front of him, the victim responded that she could not understand how it happened, as her last clear memory was that she was not even sitting next to him.

When confronted regarding how she obtained the accused's name on Instagram, the victim explained that she and the Hungarian girl had become friends on Instagram the night before. The day after the alleged rape, she messaged the girl to ask for the accused's name, which then enabled her to provide it to the police.

Inspector Wayne Buhagiar, Inspector Ryan Vella and Inspector James Turner led the prosecution together with AG lawyer Miriayah Borg. Lawyer Lennox Vella appeared for Abanto. Lawyer Katia Vassallo appeared for the victim.