21 year-old Leanne Camilleri told a court today that her mother was “controlling and manipulative” as she testified in the case against her mother, Lisa May Camilleri.

Lisa May stands accused of perjury and instigating her daughter to give false testimony. 

Leanne’s father Emanuel had been jailed for two years after he was found guilty of defiling the girl – a conviction which was subsequently overturned when the girl had taken back her allegations during his appeal and after medical tests proved that Leanne was still a virgin. 

Lisa Camilleri is pleading not guilty to having lied under oath, and to instigating her daughter to testify that her father had abused her. 

This morning, defence counsel Martin Fenech strongly opposed a request that the girl testifies via videoconferencing, asking that she ought to undergo psychiatric evaluation beforehand.

The girl was “unfit to stand trial” and “mentally unstable,” said the lawyer, at which point the girl’s lawyer, Maxilene Pace, pointed out that neither was she on trial. Dr Pace told the court that the girl was outside the courtroom and was willing to testify, in person, immediately. The prosecution then withdrew its request that the witness testifies in chambers. The request for psychological evaluation was refused by the court and therefore the girl took the witness stand. 

“I had been sick of the lie,” the girl told magistrate Ian Farrugia. “My mum was celebrating because my dad was in prison and after a while I said that it was enough and I had my own independence. The lie was weighing down on me because I didn’t want my dad to continue to suffer.” 

Inspector Joseph Busuttil asked her whether anyone had made her change her version. “I decided of my own accord, to tell the whole truth to the inspector. I could not hold it inside anymore. Nobody told me to say anything.” 

Asked why she had continued to lie under oath, she said the mother had brainwashed her. “If I told the truth, my mum would throw me out,” said the girl, adding that this had happened on several occasions. She was terrified of her mother, who would regularly threaten and sometimes attack her. 

Usually her grandmother would take her to school, she said, but on one occasion, her mother took her instead and took the opportunity to brief the daughter on what she was going to tell the court, trying to prompt her to remember that her father had touched her.

Afterwards the mother and grandmother took her to a lawyer, who had asked her whether she was there of her own will and whether the stories were true. “At the time I was very confused. He asked me what had happened. I told him the narrative my mum had fed me minutes before in the car.” 

“My grandma and mum had told me to say that I had come from my dad’s. While they were washing me they had seen blood on her panty and had asked her why, as this was not normal for a 10 year old. Then I started crying and said that my dad had abused me. That was how the story went,” she told the court. 

She said she “felt really free” when she finally testified to the true version of events in court. 

Leanne Camilleri had gone to live with her grandmother in Marsaxlokk at the age of 7, after her parents’ separation. “Nanna would blaspheme a lot,” she recalled. 

The girl had contacted TV show host Peppi Azzopardi to make a public apology to her father. “I wanted to apologise for what I did to my dad. While he was in prison, I was also imprisoned by this woman who made me do frightful things. I wanted to apologise to him.” 

She repeated that she had told Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera the truth, out of her own free will. “That was all me, because my conscience made me speak. Right after I spoke, I felt the weight lift off my chest. She used me and my brother as weapons.” 

As the magistrate was setting the date for the next hearing the end of today’s sitting, the girl said. “I want to live my life. I have gone through enough. AlI I want to do is to carry on in the straight and narrow.” 
Lawyer Martin Fenech is defending Lisa May Camilleri. Tonio Azzopardi appeared parte civile for the father. Maxilene Pace is legal counsel to Leanne Camilleri.