Lawyer calls for ‘common sense’ in child abuse cases

Lawyer defending man accused of defiling a minor warns against prosecuting innocent people

Arthur Azzopardi, a lawyer defending the man who was this week accused of defiling a 10-year-old boy, called for common sense in dealing with such cases to avoid sending innocent people to jail.

On Thursday, a 46-year-old school assistant and a treasurer of the Society of Christian Doctrine (M.U.S.E.U.M) was remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to corrupting and defiling a 10-year-old boy at Bahar ic-Caghaq on Sunday.

The incident occurred on Sunday 24th August, when the accused, Anthony Callus, of Siggiewi, was swimming at Bahar ic-Caghaq during a MUSEUM event.

At some point in time, Callus “grabbed the 10-year-old boy from his waist and lifted him out of the water,” – which according to the prosecution then led to the accused “slightly brushing the boy’s genitalia.”

Callus also pleaded not guilty to harassment, violent indecent assault, and offending public morals.

Azzopardi pointed out that he does not accept defending people accused with child abuse “unless I’m convinced the client is innocent. I am convinced that Callus is saying the truth and for this reason I’m defending the accused wholeheartedly.”

Read more in today’s edition of Illum