A care home worker has been remanded in custody after being charged with the rape of a colleague at the workplace.

Rabat resident Sandesha Shetty, 30, from India was arraigned under arrest before magistrate Monica Vella on Tuesday by police Inspectors John Spiteri and Stacy Attard. Inspector Spiteri told the court how on 7 April, the police had received a report from a woman claiming to have been raped whilst she was at work at the care home.

The woman told the police how, at around 10pm whilst she was cleaning a room, the accused had allegedly gone into that room, grabbed her from behind and raped her. The incident had lasted around a minute, after which the accused went to make a sandwich and returned to continue but desisted as people had since entered the room. The victim had then called her boyfriend and filed a police report.

The woman was asked to submit to a medical examination which confirmed that rape had taken place, said the police Inspector.

The accused’s lawyers Lawyer Franco Debono and Amadeus Cachia entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.

Bail was not granted.

The court ordered that the name of the home and the alleged victim not be published.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Alfred Abela appeared parte civile for the victim.

The man has also been suspended from his workplace.