A man who filed an appeal to have his jail term revoked or revised after he had been found guilty of raping a 14-year-old Swedish girl five years ago, had his sentence reduced from four years in prison to two.

The man, whose name cannot be published because he was only 17 years old at the time of the incident, had been found guilty of raping and corrupting the girl in Dragonara Bay, St Julian’s on 27 June 2002.

He was one of three boys who had attacked the girl’s Maltese boyfriend while they were together on the beach. The other two boys then held the girl down by her shoulders, while he (the appellant) raped her.

The Court of Criminal Appeal upheld the man’s request that the prison term be reduced by half, in accordance with Article 37 of the Criminal Code, which states: “If the offender has attained the age of 14 but is under the age of 18 years, the punishment applicable to the offence shall be diminished by one or two degrees.”

The court was presided over by Mr Justice David Scicluna. Dr Anglu Farrugia appeared for the appellant.