A 21-year-old student from Tarxien was refused bail on Monday after being accused of raping two girls on two separate nights in June.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke also banned the publication of the man’s name in an effort to protect the identity of his alleged victims, despite the prosecution’s objection.

Appearing for the office of the Attorney General, lawyer Darlene Grima said that investigations had not indicated that the alleged victims would risk becoming publicly known should the accused’s name be published.

The young man, accompanied by his parents and uncle, nodded solemnly as the decree was delivered to the courtroom.

The prosecution said that over the course of the night between June 3 and 4 the accused had raped a young woman who was too drunk to remember the incident.

It is understood that the young woman had been out drinking at an establishment in Tarxien, after which the accused had offered her a lift in his car.

The prosecution said that the alleged victim was drunk and was unable to resist sexual contact from the accused. She was also unable to identify her attacker and remembered very little detail of the incident.

It was only after the accused was arrested on the second night, after allegedly raping a minor, that DNA evidence linked him to the assault of the first victim.

The second girl was allegedly raped late at night after a party in Little Armier between 11pm and 1am.

He was also accused of holding the girl against her will and putting her in a position that offended her dignity.

Defence lawyer Arthur Azzopardi said that the young man was a first-time offender and had never been accused of a crime. Arguing for bail, he said that there was no fear of the accused tampering with witnesses as most of the testimony and evidence has already been heard in front of the inquiring magistrate and it would not benefit the accused if witnesses were to suddenly change their testimony.

The man’s mother and father, who stood behind him in support, were willing to act as guarantors for their son’s release from arrest, Azzopardi added, and that limitations for bail should be set in order for the accused to continue with his education.

The prosecution objected to bail, arguing that his release still posed a real fear of tampering with evidence, particularly in the case of the first victim, where civilian testimony would be establishing the facts of the case.

The accused, they said, had been arrested after the second incident and released on police bail after questioning.

While appreciating that some time had passed since the incident, it was imperative that all evidence, including the victim’s testimony, be preserved and heard by the court.

Inspectors John Spiteri, Sarah Kathleen Zerafa and Ryan Vella were assisting the prosecution while lawyer Jacob Magri also appeared for the accused.