Man pleads not guilty to his partner's rape

A 22-year-old man who appeared in court today charged with the rape of his partner - the mother of his child - has claimed that the woman had changed her mind during the encounter.

Lawyer Joseph Giglio told Magistrate Josette Demicoli that the act was initially consensual, but that the woman had a change of heart during intercourse.

He said that the couple’s relationship was a temperamental one, with the pair having broken up and reconciled several times, describing it as “on again, off again.”

Aside from the rape charge, police inspectors Joseph Busuttil and Robert Vella also charged the man with holding the woman against her will, causing her slight injuries and with breaching the conditions of a prior suspended sentence.

The man pleaded not guilty but did not request bail, his counsel noting that it would be pointless as the request would be denied on the grounds that the alleged victim had not yet testified.

The court accepted a request by the defence, ordering that the couple’s mobile phones and Facebook accounts be examined by an expert for relevant evidence.

The prosecution made a separate request that the court order an audio recording, supposedly of the sexual encounter in question, which the woman had made on her mobile phone. The court also acceded to this request.