Mother whipped daughter, 9, with phone charging cable, court told

A mother has been taken to court after allegedly whipping her nine-year-old daughter with a mobile phone charging cord.

Before magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras, Inspector Paula Ciantar charged the 45-year-old Moroccan woman with causing slight injury to the girl, causing her to fear violence and exceeding the limits of lawful correction.

The case came to light after the girl’s school noticed marks on the girl’s skin and informed child protection agency Appogg, who in turn contacted the police. Photographs of the girl’s injuries show marks on her skin allegedly caused by the cord.

The child is currently in residential care.

The accused, who lives in Mellieha and works as a maid, tearfully pleaded guilty, promising that she “will not do it again”. She had told the police that she was sorry and had only wanted to correct her daughter’s behaviour, the court was told.

Magistrate Galea Sciberras ordered a presentencing report to be drawn up so as to be better informed of the circumstances in which the girl was living before handing down punishment.

Lawyer Dustin Camilleri requested bail for the accused, which the court granted against a deposit of €150 and a personal guarantee of €5,000. The magistrate also upheld the prosecution’s request for a protection order, prohibiting her from approaching, following or communicating with the minor in any way for the duration of the criminal proceedings.

The court imposed a ban on the publication of the name of the accused so as to protect the identity of the victim.