Man accused of sexually assaulting woman after offering to help her retrieve stolen bag
An Eritrean man denied charges of sexual assault and theft after allegedly trapping a woman in a Msida bar and assaulting her, as the court deliberates on his bail
A man has denied charges relating to a nightmarish sexual assault allegedly committed on a woman in Msida last Tuesday.
Afewerki Teklesembet Yohannes, 41, an Eritrean man living in Pieta, appeared before Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech on Monday, accused of having used a weapon to force the woman to submit to a non-consensual act of a sexual nature at a bar in Msida on September 3.
He was also accused of holding the woman against her will, subjecting her to unwanted sexual behaviour, causing her to fear that violence would be used against her, slightly injuring her and stealing her smart watch.
Police Inspector Michael Vella, who is prosecuting together with lawyer Nadia Ciappara from the Office of the Attorney General, told the court that the woman had approached a police patrol to tell them that she had “just been raped”. The woman had then pointed out the defendant to the police.
The police were told how, earlier that evening, the woman and her boyfriend had been at Rocky Beach in Paceville, when their bag disappeared. A man had approached the couple to tell them that he could help, telling them to go to a bar in Msida so that the person who took the bag could return it to her.
He also told the woman that if she was Colombian they would give her the bag, but not if her boyfriend was European, so the boyfriend agreed to stay behind. He gave the woman his phone and told her to call the emergency number if anything happened.
Inside the Msida bar where she was supposed to meet the man, the woman felt something was off, but when she tried to leave she found that the door had been locked. The man, Yohannes, had then allegedly grabbed her breasts and tore off her smartwatch.
Hearing the scuffle from behind the door, the woman’s boyfriend had kicked the door open and rescued her.
He had found the defendant carrying a hammer and the woman’s mobile phone, which the defendant had handed over to the man immediately.
After his arrest, Yohannes was taken to hospital to be treated for hand injuries. When he was subsequently questioned, the man had issued an audiovisual statement in which he had denied everything, insisting that it had been the couple who had approached him in St. Julians.
But as his arrest was going to expire soon , the man was released on police bail that evening and rearrested when he returned to the police station the next day.
The man pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Lawyer Franco Debono, assisting the defendant together with lawyer Adreana Zammit requested bail, arguing that the man had been living in Malta for the past 13 years and was gainfully employed.
Inspector Vella informed the court that although the man was registered with jobsplus as a self-employed restaurant owner, no restaurant was specified, because the work address provided was his home address.
Debono insisted that the “most important thing” was the fact that after he was released on police bail he had obeyed his bail conditions and kept his appointment at the police station. “We have an address, police bail, a fixed address,” said the lawyer.
Magistrate Frendo Dimech pointed out that he had claimed to have full time employment but didn’t know where he worked, which opened up another can of worms for the defendant. “He said that he worked in construction earlier today! Who does he work in construction with?”
The defence explained that Yohannes used to work in construction and was “now preparing to open his own restaurant.”
Noting that the man’s lawyer was doing his best but the defendant was insisting on shooting himself in the foot, the court informed the parties that a decision on bail would be given in chambers.
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