Updated 3.25pm, adds police reply

A rape victim has yet to be summoned by the police’s standards unit almost four months since disciplinary action was promised against the inspector that left her case in limbo.

Maria* was brutally raped in June 2020 for almost an hour as her two daughters listened to the ordeal. The attacker tried to strangle her with her own top before he was peeled off her by two police officers who answered her call for help. Covered in bruises, with dislodged teeth and ripped hair, the woman was left incontinent for months. The suspect has since been charged.

Despite the presence of witnesses and photos of the injuries, corroborated by a hospital report, her story had remained unacknowledged for 15 months until she recounted it to Times of Malta last October. Following the publication of the article, Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà had said the inspector who failed to properly investigate the case was facing disciplinary action.

Nearly four months since Gafà’s statement, Maria told Times of Malta that despite being told by the Professional Standards Unit that she will be summoned to testify before a board, there is no date for the proceedings yet.

“Nothing has been done four months since the commissioner publicly promised disciplinary action against the inspector.

“Knowing what I know now, had the assault taken place today, I don’t believe I would file a report. Because if you do file a report, you need to be willing to fight another fight, which I don’t believe is worth it at the end of the day.”

‘I kept thinking about how Paulina died’

Maria feels lucky she survived to recall the ordeal, unlike Paulina Dembska who was brutally raped and murdered in Sliema on January 2.

“As details emerged of Paulina’s rape and murder, my heart shattered in 100,000 pieces.

“I kept thinking about the pain she went through and how much she must have called out for help. I kept thinking about how she had died, while I had survived.”

The police have since come under fire from women’s rights activists after saying that the rape and murder of Paulina did not appear to be linked to the victim’s sex. 

“During that disgusting conference held after her death, the police urged people to report harassment, no matter how small. How can they expect us to report harassment if no action is taken when we do report,” Maria told Times of Malta.

Statistics show that sexual assault remains hugely under-reported in Malta, with just one of three victims who seek psychological support for such attacks also reporting the incident to the police. 

Maria herself was left in limbo about her case. It was only after personally writing to Gafà eight months after the assault, that she was told the attacker had been released from Mount Carmel Hospital and was going to be interrogated.

Woman’s story had remained unacknowledged for 15 months

Her case made it to court one year after the rape, but she insists that the inspector overlooking her case broke all protocols when he failed to order a magisterial inquiry, failed to visit the site of the crime or collect the aggressor’s items.

She says the inspector only heard her full story for the first time after the charges were issued, and that he had only spoken very briefly to her after the assault, telling her the case will go to court unless she forgave him. Under Maltese law, if a victim forgives their perpetrator, the police are still duty bound to prosecute the aggressor.

“It is painful that I had to fight for justice myself. Fourteen months after the rape, the police said on Facebook that the officer had been promoted to superintendent. It felt like I had been punched in the stomach.

“That is when I filed a report with the police’s standards unit and went to the media. But no disciplinary action has been taken yet. All they have done is told me that I will be called by a board – I have not even been given a date yet.

“It’s now 19 months since the rape,” she said, noting that the officer in question was teaching police officers.

“The rape has broken me and completely changed my life, however, I am at a point in life where I am more hurt by the police’s behaviour than by the rape itself.”

*Name has been changed

In a right of reply sent on Sunday afternoon, the police said:

"With reference to the titles and content of both articles, the Malta Police Force would like to reiterate that any allegation of misconduct is always taken seriously, in fact action was immediately taken and an internal investigation was opened.

"The conclusion of the internal investigation recommended disciplinary action and a disciplinary board has been appointed on this case and there are currently ongoing disciplinary proceedings in terms of the PSC Regulations.

"We would also however like to clarify that delays in these proceedings are beyond the Malta Police Force.

"It must also be clarified that the victim in question was constantly updated with the developments in her case and was never left in limbo, as alleged in the article.

"The victim was kept updated by both the Police Vice Squad and the Professional Standards Office.

"During the most recent communication with Police Professional Standards Unit, the victim was informed that she will be required to testify in the coming weeks and was also advised to prepare for her testimony to ensure that the disciplinary process is as thorough as possible."

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