A man currently serving time in jail for soliciting donations for Dar Tal-Providenza in return for a bogus €5,000 voucher told a court today that it was his girlfriend who abused of his kindness and lured him into collecting money.

Joseph Meilaq, 32, who was testifying before Magistrate Audrey Demicoli in the compilation of evidence against his former partner Graziella Apap, 30, from Siggiewi, said: “She threatened to kill me and throw me in the sea. She kept telling me I would be in trouble if I did not pay her €100 a day. I took none of the money I collected but I passed them on to her. I even bought her two TV sets, several home ornaments from Dallas 2000 and a tablet.”

Apap is pleading not guilty to soliciting donations for the charitable institution and defrauding the victims.

Meilaq said around €8,000 had been collected by the time they were caught but he could not give an exact amount when asked by the Magistrate. He said Ms Apap only joined him a couple of times for the door-to-door visits and then forced him to continue collecting donations on his own.

She told me: “You do a good job unlike me, as from now on start doing it yourself and send me the money.”

Mr Meilaq explained that he would knock at people’s houses, telling them they had won a €5,000 voucher if they donated €400 to Dar tal-Providenza. The victims would then go to the charitable institution to redeem their prize only to find that no voucher system existed.

Mr Meilaq, who is a garbage collector and street sweeper, said he had met Ms Apap, a mother-of-three, and eventually befriended her and often went to her apartment. He said that although she had a Syrian boyfriend, she still used to be intimate with him.

He said that he had told her why have two men, why the need?

“I am kind-hearted so when she told me that she was paying €450 in rent, I wanted to help her. She needed a washing machine and I was ready to buy it for her but I needed time as I only earned €66 day,” he said, adding that he even bought her a PlayStation 4.

“My boss had warned me many a time that she would land me in trouble but I did not listen to them. Had I not met her, I would not be in jail today,” Mr Meilaq said.

Mr Meilaq said Ms Apap told him she worked in a massage parlour but never gave where she worked away. He also alleged that she often physically attacked him but under cross examination said he never reported the matter to the police as he always forgave her.

The case continues on September 2.

Police Inspector Jonathan Ferris prosecuted while lawyer Valentina Lattughi appeared for the woman.