Syrian accused of taking advantage of drunk woman remanded in custody

A court has remanded a Syrian man in custody after he appeared before it charged with raping a Romanian woman last Sunday. 

38 year-old Ahmad Sheikh Ahmed pleaded not guilty to the crime. The 23-year-old victim alleged that the incident had taken place in his car, close to her home in Mosta, after he had given her a lift from Paceville last Sunday.

Lawyer Joe Brincat, appearing for Ahmed, said the man strongly denied the charge, and claimed that he had only been helping the woman get home safely given her inebriated state.

Brincat told the court Ahmed’s brothers had been drinking with the woman and a friend of hers in Paceville, when the woman had too much to drink. The defendant’s brother carried the woman down to St. George’s bay to get some air and called the defendant, to drive the woman home. The woman's friend refused to accompany her.

The court was told that the woman was indeed drunk, but not drunk enough not to know what was happening, as she was giving the accused directions to her house.

The court was shown medical evidence which showed that the woman had suffered bruising patterns compatible with a sexual assault. The woman had also picked out the accused from an identification parade. 

Duty magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona denied the accused bail due to the risk that he would interfere with witnesses. 

Police Inspectors Joseph Busuttil and Nicholas Vella prosecuted.