A man who filed a police report about a discussion programme promoting gay conversion therapy told a court on Monday that he did so because the show breached the law banning such practices.

Christian Attard explained that he was first alerted to the programme after seeing a Facebook post by the news portal PMnews Malta about the upcoming discussion on gay conversion therapy with Matthew Grech.

That advert referred to Grech as a local representative of the International Federation for Therapeutic and Counselling Choice (IFTCC), an organisation which offered “certain services,” said Attard when testifying in criminal proceedings triggered by that report.

Grech, together with Mario Camilleri and Rita Bonnici who hosted the discussion show aired on PMnews on April 6, 2022, are pleading not guilty to breaching a ban on gay conversion therapy in terms of the Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression Act.

The post advertising the discussion was subsequently shared by Grech, who is also the general secretary of political party ABBA.

The programme itself was “an exercise in promoting gay conversion therapy with a clear reference to IFTCC,” Attard testified, explaining that he had watched the show twice, noting particular snippets of conversation to support his stand.

Throughout the programme, “those practices” were clearly explained, he said. 

He noted that during the show, Grech stated on the show that he did not agree with the law banning such conversion practices which involved “restraining oneself.”

Those who sought help did so because they did not want to be obsessed, Grech had allegedly said while discussing the subject with the presenters on the show.

Reference was also made to Mike Davidson, a lead exponent of IFTCC, who was married but experienced a sexual conflict.

“I greatly aspire to be like him,” Grech had said, referring to Davidson as “a colleague” who initially thought that he could solve his problems simply by turning to Christ.

But then he sought help and that help enabled him to save his marriage, Grech had explained, mentioning IFTCC and other affiliated organisations.

As for Camilleri and Bonnici, they had introduced their guest as the representative of that international organisation and urged viewers to share the programme which they later uploaded to the PMnews website.

Under cross examination by lawyer Emmy Bezzina as counsel to the hosts, Attard said that the post was to be seen within the context of the programme that followed. He had filed the police report after watching the programme.

“But was the post itself breaching the law?” Bezzina asked.

“There was a reference to IFTCC,” said the witness. “The services of that provider were being advertised and that was in itself problematic.”

Pressed further to explain why he had reported to the police, the witness said that he had not filed the report “because [the programme] bothered him but because there was a law….and it was breached.”

“In the footage, the IFTCC was mentioned only once, Joe Bugeja, one of the lawyers assisting Grech said.

“No, at least twice,” corrected the witness.

Moreover, the term ‘gay conversion therapy’ was never mentioned, pointed out the lawyer.

“No. The phrase perhaps was not mentioned but the services they offer clearly fall within the definition under Maltese law,” replied the witness.

Prosecuting Inspector Roderick Attard testified about the report which reached the Rabat police station on May 14 last year by Silvan Agius and Christian Attard.

Asked by Grech’s defence lawyer Frank Anthony Tabone, Attard said that he was “morally convinced” that the facts fell within the terms of the law and had thus pressed charges.

Following his brief testimony, the prosecutor declared that the prosecution had no further evidence to produce.

Magistrate Monica Vella heard submissions by Grech’s lawyers who asked that certain documents presented by previous witnesses Silvan Agius and Cynthia Chircop be removed from the records of the case, arguing that they were not linked to and not at all relevant to the charges.

Those documents were not even linked to the date of the programme at issue.

The prosecution rebutted that those documents shed incriminating light on the accused, but the defence stressed that the charge was very specific and anything unrelated was not to be allowed.

The case continues in September.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jeanice Dalli are also assisting Grech.

Lawyers Cedric Mifsud and Ian Barbara are appearing parte civile.