Man sentenced to eight years in prison for sex offences in front of minors

A man who pleasured himself at a public beach in the presence of three children has been handed a stiff sentence - eight years behind bars.

Claudio Perossa, a 60-year-old Italian resident of St Paul’s Bay, had been arrested in July 2020 after a number of parents told the police that their children, aged 6, 13 and 14, had seen the man pull down his swimming trunks to masturbate at Mellieħa’s Dawret it-Tunnara, all the while keeping his gaze fixed on the minors. 

The incident was not a one-off. A number of parents told the court that their children had spotted the man doing so twice on the same day, at 11am and 5pm. Three days later, Perossa had taken off his swimming trunks in public once more, to swim in the nude. 

The prosecution also exhibited records of Perossa’s numerous previous convictions in Italy for the crime of performing obscene acts in public.

Perossa had testified in his own defence, telling the court that he had “noticed the elastic [of his trunks] had weakened somewhat and that his trunks had “slipped down a little.”  The defendant said he had been “very embarrassed” when he realised that children wearing goggles were swimming nearby but had been unable to pull up his trunks because the depth of the water made it difficult.

He told the court that he had swum to shallower water but had remained in difficulty because he “suffered from stability problems”. One of the minors had asked him if he needed any help, and he had said no, he claimed.

But this explanation fell far short of convincing magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, who said she “absolutely did not believe” his account, pointing out that even if his claim was true, his trunks would have floated upwards and not sunk down. Perossa had also failed to explain why he had worn the same set of “loose” swimming trunks on a second occasion, after the first incident. 

Besides this, the court had heard witnesses say how on the two separate dates, the defendant had first observed the children, then moved towards them to perform the indecent acts indicating that his actions were intentional and not borne of the frantic confusion he had claimed.

Two adults had also testified, observed the court, one of whom had themselves seen him masturbating under the water, the other reporting that Perossa had left when he saw her moving towards him.

A medico-forensic expert, appointed to examine Perossa at the request of the defence, had reported that Perossa was physically capable of the actions attributed to him and that the man’s mental and rational capabilities were adequate, as was his physical movement, although with some limitations. 

The magistrate observed that Perossa had indeed been convicted of exhibitionism-related crimes in Italy several times, but not in the presence of minors.

Finding him guilty of all charges against him, the court sentenced Claudio Perossa to imprisonment for eight years and ordered that his name be inscribed in the sex offenders register.

No appeal was filed to the judgment, which was handed down on September 19 and which now is final.

Police Inspectors John Spiteri and Paula Ciantar prosecuted.

Lawyer Mark Fenech Vella appeared for the defendant.