Hospital mortuary worker charged with sexually harassing security guard gets bail

A worker at the hospital mortuary has been released on bail on charges of having sexually harassed a female security guard after showing her around his workplace.

Kenneth Ciantar, a 45-year-old mortuary dissector from Żurrieq, was arraigned under arrest before Magistrate Giannella Camilleri Busuttil on Wednesday.

Ciantar was charged with committing a non-consensual act which had sexual connotations on the guard and sexually harassing her. He denied the charges.

Police inspector Eman Hayman, prosecuting, told the court that the August 2 incident involved a female security guard, who had been temporarily stationed at the mortuary and who had shown an interest in learning about the dissection process.

The defendant is understood to have shown her the ropes, after which he allegedly gave her an uninvited kiss, prompting the guard to leave.

Later that day, the defendant approached her again, this time grabbing her breast. The victim had pushed him away, after which he had stopped pursuing her.

The victim informed her immediate superiors about the incident that day, but after several days passed with no action being taken she had spoken to the CEO of the security company she worked for, who instructed her to immediately file a police report.

Ciantar was arrested on Monday 7 August as a result of that report and was charged today, after being questioned.

As the defendant and the alleged victim both worked at the hospital, the police had also spoken to Ciantar’s Head of Department for her safety, and were informed that Ciantar had been immediately suspended from work when the report was filed.

Because of this, prosecutor Danika Vella from the Office of the Attorney General did not object to Ciantar’s bail request, as long as he was prevented from approaching the hospital or the town of Msida, where the alleged victim works.

He was released on bail against a €4,000 deposit and a €6,000 personal guarantee. A protection order was also issued in favour of the woman, prohibiting him from contacting or approaching her.

Lawyer Maroushka Debono appeared as Ciantar's defence counsel.