A 42-year-old man has been granted bail after being charged with defiling his partner’s minor son. 

The man was accused of corrupting a minor under 16 years of age, committing non-consensual sexual acts and exposing the boy to humiliating or degrading physical or sexual intimacy. 

The defence, however, argued that the charges were concocted by the accused’s partner’s ex-husband, who was jealous that the woman had moved on from their marriage and that his son had since formed a good relationship with the accused. 

The accused’s partner and her ex-husband had been through an acrimonious split, the defence argued, and their son had ended up getting caught in the crossfire. 

The man, they said, had two children of his own with whom there had never been a shred of impropriety levelled at the accused.

Whatsmore, an investigation by social services into the allegations had not recommended any further action, so much so that the boy and his mother still lived with the accused. The report was finalised and published in August. 

Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit accepted the request for bail on the condition that the child is removed from the home and sent to live with his father. 

The prosecution did not object to a request for bail under these conditions.  

A ban on the publication of names was issued by the court to protect the victim’s identity. 

Lawyers Sean Azzopardi and Inspectors Kylie Borg and Brian Xuereb led the prosecution.