A 36 year-old man from Rabat today was accused of corrupting his 10 year-old daughter after she was allegedly shown pornographic material on her father’s mobile phone.

The accused pleaded not guilty but a request for bail was rejected on the grounds that he could tamper with the evidence or approach the victim.

The incident took place on 1 October, while the child and a friend were at her father’s home. Upon being returned back to her mother, the child told her what took place and was immediately taken to the police station to file a report.

The prosecution argued that while the daughter and her friend still had to testify, it would not be right to grant bail. Lawyer Victor Bugeja counter argued that the accused could be ordered not to go within the locality of where the daughter resides.

Inspector Joseph Busuttil could be heard telling the courts that the child could not have made up the incident, because her description of what she saw was too vivid.

The defence argued that the accused could have forgotten that he had pornographic material on the phone. It transpired that it was not his primary mobile, but one he allowed his daughter to use for entertainment.

The courts ordered that the names of both the accused to protect the identity of the victim.