A man was remanded in custody on Saturday after pleading not guilty to stalking a girl he became obsessed about, following her wherever she went and spending countless hours outside her house.

The man, a 38-year-old, was charged with harassing her and with slightly injuring her father who he approached to ask why he was not allowing him to date his daughter.

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras ordered a ban on the publication of all names.

The court heard Police Inspector Eman Hayman explain how the man could be seen wherever the girl was, including outside the school she attended. The man became so obsessed with her that the teenage girl began feeling scared, at one point deciding not to leave her house to avoid seeing him following her.

However, the man simply spent hours in the car outside her home, waiting for her to appear.

The man’s defence lawyer, Mark Mifsud Cutajar said it was not harassment but courtship. He said his client was seriously interested in this girl. It was genuine and he had even approached the father to request his permission to date his daughter.

Magistrate Galea Sciberras denied a request for bail since the teenage girl still had to testify in proceedings.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Mario Camilleri appeared parte civile for the victim and her family.