Accused in ‘demon’ sex abuse case chooses not to testify 

A man who stands accused of raping his girlfriend’s mother has chosen not to testify in his trial and will be exercising his right to silence, a court heard on Thursday.  The 22-year-old is being accused of rape and violence by seeking to control his then minor girlfriend and her family, committing sexual abuse against her mother and her sister.  The court earlier this week heard testimony from the mother and her two daughters who described episodes of sexual abuse, beatings and 'torture'.  The court also saw a recording of the accused’s first interrogation by the police, in which he calmly blamed “the demon” for the acts of abuse and violence, and claimed that he too has suffered.  The accused was expected to take the stand on Thursday morning, however, defence lawyer Mario Mifsud informed the court that the young man, sitting silently and expressionlessly behind him, had decided not to.  The accused’s cousin was also summoned to court on Thursday and was asked about her relationship with the accused’s former girlfriend. The former girlfriend, one of the victims of the accused, had previously testified that the accused’s cousin had threatened and pressured her to change her...