Police sergeant acquitted of frame-up against former partner in child sex-abuse case

A police sergeant accused of fabricating child sex-abuse allegations against her ex-partner and corrupting witnesses has been acquitted.

A magistrate ruled the mother, a long-serving police officer, had acted in good faith out of concern for her young daughter.

The case revolved around a bitter family dispute dating back to 2016 when the mother brought her six-year-old daughter to police headquarters after learning the child had allegedly been shown videos about sex abuse on her father’s mobile phone.

The girl had confided in her cousin that her father let her watch explicit clips on a site called OhYesMummy.com, and her cousin’s mother informed the police sergeant. The mother, who was responsible for the child’s care at the time, escorted her daughter to the Police Vice Squad the following day.

The daughter repeated her claims to the police officers, saying her father kept pornographic material on his Samsung mobile phone, and the mother testified to that effect in criminal proceedings against her ex-partner.

The father was later acquitted, with the court in that case remarking that the child seemed to be repeating what she was told by adults. He then filed criminal proceedings against the mother, alleging she had invented the story, induced the child and others to lie, and committed perjury to have him unjustly prosecuted.

But in a ruling handed down this week, Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech said there was no evidence that the mother fabricated the story or acted maliciously.

“The accused did not invent the version recounted by her daughter, nor did she manipulate her or others,” the court said, noting that the mother had merely relayed to police what her daughter said during questioning.

The magistrate also pointed out that several other witnesses, including the mother’s sister and niece, corroborated the girl’s initial claims, and there was nothing to suggest the mother coached the child or fabricated evidence.

“The mother acted out of a sense of responsibility and concern for her child, not to harm her former partner,” the court added.

The police sergeant, who served on the force for over 15 years, had consistently denied any wrongdoing and maintained she was only trying to protect her daughter.

The magistrate dismissed all charges, including making a false accusation, corrupting witnesses, perjury and failing her duties as a public officer.

Superintendent Graziella Muscat prosecuted, Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech presided over the case.