Valletta bar owner jailed over sexually molesting 16-year-old waitress
Bar owner says he suspected teen stole money but did not file a police report
A bar owner was jailed for four years after a court found him guilty of sexually molesting and harassing a 16-year-old waitress when he invited her over to his house to discuss cash flow on her third night at work.
Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit also ordered that the man be put on the sex offenders’ register after finding him guilty of sexually molesting the teen when he kissed her and grabbed her private parts without her consent.
The magistrate heard how, in the early hours of July 15, 2023, the teenager had gone to the Valletta police station to report that she had been sexually assaulted by her boss.
The girl testified via video conferencing, recounting how she was a student and had decided to start a summer job working as a waitress in a Valletta bar.
Her job included serving customers, clearing tables and washing glasses.
On her third night at work, at the end of her shift, her boss asked her and her colleague to drop by his house, located nearby.
He wanted to speak to them about the cash flow. They went there and found their boss with his wife.
The teen said that the wife and her colleague remained in the living room, and her boss asked her to go to the bedroom, where he asked her if she sniffed drugs.
She said she did not and was uncomfortable.
They went back to the living room where she and her colleague were offered alcoholic drinks and cigarettes.
The teen said she needed to leave to meet her family at the village feast, and her boss offered to get her a taxi.
When it arrived, he walked her down the stairs and, before she left, he leaned in and kissed her on her lips, using his tongue, and grabbed her private parts over her skirt.
When she got into the taxi, she called her boyfriend and explained what happened.
The two went to file a police report immediately.
But the boss denied that this had happened.
He said he had asked the teen and his other employee to go to his house because CCTV footage of the evening made him suspect the teen was stealing money.
He said he asked her to go to the bedroom as there was air conditioning in there.
His wife stayed in the living room to speak to the other employee so that they could compare versions.
He said that, when the teen left his home, she was very upset as he had told her not to return to work due to the theft.
Faced with the conflicting versions, the magistrate noted that the version of the boss was less credible.
If he suspected theft, why had he not reported that to the police?
Also, asking a teenager to follow him into the bedroom was unacceptable behaviour from an employer towards an employee.
She found him guilty of the charges, jailed him for four years and placed him on a treatment order for two years.
She also issued a restraining order for three years and ordered that his name be included in the sex offenders’ register.
Lawyers Veronique Dalli and Dean Hili represented the victim.
Police Inspector Dary Borg, as well as Attorney General lawyers Danika Vella and Shelby Aquilina, prosecuted.