Mother’s ex-boyfriend says daughter was never abused by ‘wrongly accused man’

The former boyfriend of Lisa May Camilleri – the mother accused of instigating her daughter to testify that her father had raped her several times – told the court today that Camilleri’s daughter had told him that the alleged abuse never happened.

Alan John Thorn was summoned to testify in the case against Lisa May Camilleri who is being accused of perjury. In June 2014, the accused, Lisa May Camilleri was charged with lying under oath and forcing her daughter to claim that her father had defiled her.  She was subsequently placed under a bill of indictment and remanded in custody.

Taking the witness stand, Thorn recounted how the daughter, Leanne Camilleri, had escaped from her home after an argument with her mother ensued.

“An argument between Leanne and her mother, my former partner, erupted, and Leanne escaped. I then went out searching for her and found her on a bus stop. We got to talking, and she burst out crying, telling me that her father never touched her and that her mother told her to say it,” he said.

Cross examined by defence lawyer Martin Fenech, Thorn told the court that he had worked with Emanuel Camilleri at Arriva, but insisted that he never knew of his criminal proceedings.

“About three weeks ago, I met him [Emanuel Camilleri] and we got talking. He then told me that it was him who was being accused of raping his daughter. Coincidentally, I told him that I used to date his former wife, and told him what his daughter told me.”

“After I told him, police contacted me and I was summoned to testify,” Thorn said,

On his part, Emanuel Camilleri, told the court that in November 2002, he visited his lawyer Tonio Azzopardi, telling him that he could not continue to pay maintenance because he was out of work. Consequently, his visitation rights stopped. After paying maintenance, he was informed that his visitation rights were stopped because he was accused of sexually abusing them.

Camilleri then said that his former wife refused his maintenance payments and he filed a police complaint. He then issued a police statement, denying all the allegations against him.

He subsequently started seeing his children again in October 2003, and recalled that his daughter refused to leave the car, out of fear that she would not see him again. In September 2004, the case against him started to be heard.

During court proceedings, Camilleri said, he was accused of raping his daughter five times, but a gynaecological examination had revealed that his daughter was still a virgin.

Inspector Sandro Camilleri prosecuted while lawyer Martin Fenech represented the accused. Lawyer Tonio Azzopardi is parte civile for Emanuel Camilleri.

The case has been suspended until Tuesday 29th July.