Man sentenced to 20 years in jail over 'demon' sexual abuse

A man who pretended to voice a “demon” has been sentenced to 20 years in jail after he was found guilty of raping his girlfriend’s mother in 2018. 

The 22-year-old was also convicted of having forced a person to rape someone else, forcing them to engage in sexual acts, with the punishment increased because the victim was vulnerable. 

He was also convicted of having caused his victims to fear that violence will be used against them because of his course of conduct and threats of violence, such as warning them that he would cut their fingers. 

He was found guilty of engaging in sexual acts with his minor girlfriend, who was 14 years old at the time. He lived with her for almost nine months. 

He was, however, cleared of having held the woman's family hostage in its own home.

Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera handed down judgment at the end of a five-day trial without a panel of jurors, at the defence’s request.

The judge observed that this was "a macabre case" that merited a magisterial inquiry that had not been requested by the police. Despite deficiencies in the prosecution, the court was still able to decide the case. 

The court said it did not believe that there were...