A court, presided by Mr Justice Joseph Micallef, ordered the continuation of a civil claim for compensation filed by 10 individuals who suffered sexual abuse by priests. The court turned down the former priests' request for them to contest the case after the priests had failed to appeal in the timeframe stipulated, that of 10 days.
In August of three years ago, Godwin Scerri, 78, and Charles Pulis, 69, were sentenced to five and six years' imprisonment respectively for sexually abusing 10 boys while in their care at St Joseph Home, in Santa Venera around 20 years ago.
Mr Pulis had been defrocked during the proceedings while Mr Scerri's defrocking happened after the court's ruling.
The 10 sex abuse victims are Lawrence Grech (who broke the silence), Joseph Magro, Leonard Camilleri, David Cassar, Angelo Spiteri, Raymond Azzopardi, Noel Dimech, Phillip Cauchi, Charles Falzon and Joseph Mangion. They had filed a civil case in the First Hall of the Civil Court calling on the court to liquidate the damages they suffered as a result of the abuse.
The priests argued that it was no fault of theirs that they hadn't filed the claim, since they hadn't been informed to do so. But Mr Justice Joseph Micallef rejected their plea, saying they failed to convince the court that the reply was not filed through no fault of their own and due to circumstances beyond their control.