A 42-year-old man residing in Rabat, who cannot be named by court order, has been sentenced to two years in prison after the court found him guilty of corrupting and sexually abusing his four young nephews over a decade ago.

Magistrate Nadine Sant Lia handed down the judgement on 26 May 2026, marking the end of a highly complex and protracted legal battle that spanned more than a dozen years.

The accused was first arraigned in June 2013 following investigations by the police. He was accused of committing violent indecent assault, participating in sexual activities with minors, and corrupting his four young nephews, all of whom were under the age of ten at the time of the offences in 2012 and prior years.

In November 2021, the Court of Magistrates, had initially cleared the accused after declaring the charges inadmissible in fact and in law. However, that decision was overturned in April 2022 by the Court of Criminal Appeal, which annulled the acquittal and ordered the case to be sent back to the magistrates' courts to be heard afresh from the moment the charges were originally read.

Following the abstention of the original magistrate, Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti re-assigned the compilation of evidence to Magistrate Sant Lia in May 2022. The prosecution closed its case in December 2024, and the defence concluded its submissions in early 2026.

The court heard how the victims' father, had voluntarily placed three of the boys, then eight years, six years, and four years of age respectively, into the care of a children's home after their mother passed away, as he struggled to cope with their upbringing. Their eldest brother, was residing in a specialised care home due to suffering from an impairment.

The systemic abuse came to light in July 2012, approximately six months after the boys moved into the residential home. A nun testified that she caught the six-year-old touching the genitals of his four-year-old brother. When corrected, one of the boys revealed that those acts were exactly what his uncle regularly did to them whenever they visited their maternal grandmother's house in Rabat over the weekends.

Further red flags were raised when the children passionately wept, screamed, and refused to go on weekend visits to their grandmother's house. Another nun, who served as the residential social worker at the home, testified that the children's psychological distress was heavily apparent. Whenever the topic of their uncle was brought up, the four-year-old would display severely disturbed and hyper-sexualised behavior.

Social workers from Agenzija Appoġġ and a Mater Dei Consultant corroborated the children's accounts. The consultant testified that while a physical examination yielded no permanent bodily injuries, the boys were deeply traumatised mentally. Her 2013 clinical evaluation prompted child protection authorities to immediately suspend all weekend visits to the grandmother's residence.

The abuse was not isolated to the three younger brothers. Care workers from the elder brother's residence, also reported that despite his communication difficulties due to his impairment, he had independently and consistently described incidents where his uncle would slide under his bed covers to abuse him.

Throughout the proceedings, the defence fiercely contested the charges, presenting a note of submissions arguing that the accused lacked the necessary criminal intent due to a mental illness and a defect in reason, having the mental age of an 11-year-old.

However, Magistrate Sant Lia firmly rejected the defence's arguments, emphasising the extraordinary consistency of the victims' statements over a 14-year period. The court noted that one's of the victim's direct testimony was clear, unwavering, and provided precise details of a repetitive pattern of abuse that occurred multiple times a week in the grandmother's bedroom while she was asleep.

The magistrate highlighted how the accused attempted to normalise the abuse by telling the children to "relax" and assuring them that he was "doing nothing wrong," utilising fear to keep them silent.

In delivering her judgment, Magistrate Sant Lia found the accused guilty on all counts. Alongside a two-year prison sentence, the court ordered that the uncle's name be permanently placed on the Register of Sex Offenders.

To protect the now-adult victims, the court also issued a strict three-year restraining order in favour of the three victims, effective upon the accused's ultimate release from prison.

Furthermore, the magistrate issued a formal treatment order, warning the accused of the severe legal consequences should he fail to comply with its psychological and psychiatric conditions.

Inspector Louise Calleja prosecuted.