A 65-year old pensioner who stands accused of defiling a 12-year-old girl has been denied bail after pleading not guilty to charges. 

The man, whose name has been banned from publication, was arraigned on Friday and charged with engaging in unlawful sexual activities with the minor and defiling the girl, who was under 16. 

The abuse allegedly happened inside the man’s garage in Żejtun last Saturday evening.

Soon after, the vulnerable girl confided in her learning support educator at school who, in turn, flagged the matter to child support services. 

The police were roped in and criminal charges were issued against the elderly suspect.

The man’s lawyer, Edward Gatt, argued that the court could impose sufficiently stringent conditions to allay the prosecution’s fear of tampering with evidence, if his client were to be granted bail. 

However, prosecuting Inspector Kylie Borg pointed out that while the accused was under arrest, his partner had attempted to communicate with the victim’s family. 

After hearing submissions by both parties the court, presided over by magistrate Ian Farrugia, turned down the request for bail in view of the serious nature of the charges and the real fear of tampering. 

The case was still at a premature stage and civilian witnesses, including the girl, were still to testify, observed the magistrate, urging the prosecution to summon these witnesses at the earliest sitting.