Accused walks free after rape, domestic violence victim 'forgets' incident

A man with previous rape convictions has been cleared of rape and what was described by the prosecution as ‘a very serious case of domestic violence’ after his partner claimed to be unable to remember the incident.

Ans Algheziwi, 30 of Tripoli, Libya, and residing at St Paul’s Bay, was arrested on Sunday after a woman made a report at the Qawra Police Station against the accused, her partner for the last six months.

The woman had suffered several visible bruises and bite marks on her body. Prosecuting police Inspector Godwin Scerri told the court that although the victim’s injuries had been certified as slight, the police were treating this case as one of very serious domestic violence.

In addition to rape, he was charged with injuring, threatening and assaulting the woman and being a relapser. Algheziwi’s criminal record includes a past conviction for rape for which he was jailed for three years.

Lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Yanika Vidal, representing the accused, had entered a plea of not guilty during his arraignment but did not make a request for bail, as he had nowhere to live but his matrimonial home.

However, when the woman took the witness stand this morning, she told magistrate Charmaine Galea that she had no recollection of the alleged incident, torpedoing the case against her partner.

The court dismissed the charges against Algheziwi due to lack of evidence and he left the court a free man.