Court gives teenage father 'one final chance'

A 19-year-old teen who forfeited his personal freedom by breaching bail conditions to witness the birth of his baby daughter has been afforded “one final chance” after the court touched upon the humanitarian aspect of the case. 

The youth had been arraigned in June after being reported to the police for having an intimate relationship with his 14-year-old girlfriend, who was expecting his child.  

Under Maltese law, the age of consent was lowered from 18 to 16 in 2018.

The father-to-be had pleaded not guilty to defiling the minor and was granted bail under strict orders prohibiting any contact between him and his victim.

Yet, few weeks later, the accused turned up at Mater Dei Hospital to witness the birth of his child, staying on with his girlfriend for a few hours. 

His presence there was soon flagged to the police who moved in to arrest the youth, escorting him back to court for breaching court orders. 

In spite of his lawyer’s pleas to spare the teenage father his personal freedom, he was remanded in custody, the prosecution standing firm by its argument that a court order had clearly been breached. 

A fresh application for bail was subsequently filed before the criminal...