A 51-year-old security officer was placed under probation on Tuesday after admitting to harassing two female colleagues.

The victims, aged 17 and 20, filed a police report on Monday. They claimed that the man harassed them at work and produced evidence to support their claim.

The man was immediately arrested and interrogated. 

On Tuesday he was escorted to court under arrest, charged with harassing the two women, subjecting them to acts of physical intimacy, as well as acts having sexual connotations.

He was also charged with relapsing.

The accused admitted to the charges.

“Guilty, but there was nothing,” (ma kien hemm xejn), said the man.

Defence lawyer Joe Giglio said certain comments and remarks may be misunderstood and construed as harassment.

The accused had made it clear that he had no ulterior intention but was just joking, he said.

However, society had changed and certain behaviour that was perhaps tolerated in the past, was nowadays not permissible.

The prosecution agreed that the accused needed help to understand the workings of today’s society and improve his interaction with others.

Since this incident happened at the place where the accused and his victims work, the court questioned how a protection order could be effectively enforced.

“They [the women] only go there once a month….They come to my office and I offer them coffee, orange juice, sandwiches…It’s they who come inside not the other way round,” interrupted the accused, pointing out that his son was older than either of the victims.

“I had no bad intentions. I offered them Twistees….” he went on.

Magistrate Leonard Caruana placed the accused under a 3-year Probation Order so that he could get help “with his social training.”

The court also issued a protection order in favour of the victims.

The names of all parties and their place of work cannot be published by court order.  

Inspectors Kevin Pulis and Gabriel Micallef prosecuted.

Lawyer Joe Giglio was defence counsel.