A man who last year was charged with raping three women at different massage parlours, was back in court on Wednesday charged with raping another masseuse.

Magistrate Leonard Caruana heard police explain how in July last year a woman contacted them to say that she had been raped three times by a man she later saw on the news.

She claimed that the man also stole her mobile phone and hit her in the face. She identified the accused as being Harona Conateh, a Gambian national, who is being held in detention over similar cases.

In July last year Conateh was charged with raping three Chinese women at different massage parlours in Sliema and Birkirkara between June 22 and July 10 that year.

He was also charged with holding victims against their will, committing non-consensual sexual acts and slightly injuring the victims. A masseuse who was allegedly raped at the Sliema parlour had described him as a “very bad man” who attacked “many girls” including one who did not file a police report after suffering the same fate last February.

On Wednesday he was charged with raping another woman, assaulting her, the possession of a weapon and stealing her mobile on and before July 18, 2024. He chose not to answer questions put to him which was taken to mean he was pleading not guilty. He was sent back to the Corradino Correctional Facility.

A protection order was issued binding the accused not to approach the victim.

Police inspectors Wayne Buhagiar and Clayton Camilleri prosecuted together with AG lawyers Angele Vella and Nicholas DeGaetano.Lawyer Alexia Vassallo appeared as legal aid.