A 24 year-old man from Tarxien, who allegedly is in a relationship with a 15 year-old girl, was remanded in custody this morning, after he was arraigned on charges of corruption of a minor and participating in sexual activities with a minor.

The prosecution said that this was the third time that Joel Caruana, a party organiser, had appeared before the courts accused of precisely the same charges. 

He was also charged with breaching the conditions of a four-year suspended sentence which he had received in 2013 and relapsing.

Lawyers Veronique Dalli and Dean Hili, for the defence, entered a plea of not guilty and requested bail. The majority of the evidence consisted in conversations over the internet, said the lawyer. As the hard disks of the accused’s computers had been seized and presented in court, and so there was no risk of him tampering with evidence.

Inspector Briffa, however, objected to bail, pointing out that the victim in this case is a minor and there is a risk of witnesses being approached.

The court upheld the prosecution’s request and remanded the man in custody.