Another career milestone for The Times’s prominent criminal lawyer and passionate reformer
Published:
February 22, 2012 at 10:32am
The Times, last Monday
MAN GETS PROBATION FOR HAVING SEX WITH GIRL, 15, NOW HIS WIFE
A man has been placed on a two-year probation for having sex with a teenage girl who is now his wife.
The woman renounced criminal action against the man when she reached 18.
The man was charged with participating in sexual acts with his wife when she was 15 and he was 25 in 2008 and 2009.
He was also charged with committing a crime during the operative period of a suspended jail term. The suspended jail term was extended.
The couple now have three children.
Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri were defence counsel.
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Prominent, but not for the reasons Dr. Debono is so keen to promote.
One point – the girl was 15 in 2008 and 2009, which makes her 18 in 2011 and 2012 (going on 19 obviously), and ‘The couple now have three children’.
For crying out loud the mother is still a child herself, and the least said about the father, the better I think! The underclass at it’s best (worst?).
Being a Member of Parliament in Malta doesn’t seem to be a full-time job.
“Mhux kulhadd irid jiekol?”
I am sure that we will be inundated with Dr Debono’s criminal cases. Given his continuous arguments with prime minister, even the magistrates, judges, his fellow lawyers, police etc will start suffering from the so-called sudditanza psicologia and that will be the tragic end for justice.
It’s already happening with the much less publicised Dr Angelo Farrugia, but I attend court hearings regularly and it clearly shows that the same is already happening because everyone is sparing his back by knowing that Dr Farrugia is the prospective Minister of Justice.
Hi Daphne,
This was in my Spam. Obviously.
VC
Għażiż/a,
jm_v2
Il-Partit Laburista tkellem kontra l-ftehim tal-ACTA mill-ewwel għax jemmen li l-mod kif ġie miftiehem u l-mod kif inkiteb se jagħmel ħsara liċ-ċittadini Maltin u Ghawdxin. Għamilna dan b’konvinzjoni mill-Parlament Ewropew. Bl-istess mod diversi partiti politiċi u organizzazzjonijiet ħarġu jitkellmu kontrih u anke organizzaw protesti f’ħafna pajjiżi Ewropej, inkluż f’Malta.
Aħna bħala Partit Laburista nemmnu li l-aċċess għall-Internet huwa dritt tal-bniedem, u dan għandu jiġi mingħajr kundizzjonijiet. Ma jfissirx li aħna favur li l-aċċess għall-Internet għandu jkun abbużat biex permezz tiegħu jsiru atti kriminali u llegali. Aħna nemmnu li kull Malti u Ghawdxi għandu dritt li jaċċessa l-Internet mingħajr il-biża’ li l-istat jew xi organizzazzjoni qed tispjuna fuqu taħt skuża jew oħra.
L-ACTA, kif inkiteb, se jaffettwa mhux biss l-użu tal-Internet u d-dritt tal-espressjoni ħielsa, imma anke l-produzzjoni ta’ xogħol kreattiv bħall-muzika, films u arti, kif ukoll il-produzzjoni ta’ prodotti essenzjali bħall-mediċini.
Il-Gvern tal-Prim Ministru Lawrence Gonzi iffirma l-ACTA minn wara dahrna mingħajr ma għarraf lill-Parlament jew ikkonsulta ma’ ħadd. Anke l-Membri Parlamentari Ewropej Nazzjonalisti ħarġu jiddefendu l-ACTA. Iżda wara li l-mewċa ta’ kritika fl-aħħar jiem, il-Prim Ministru Gonzi ħabbar li se jagħmel liċi li tipproteċi d-drittijiet tal-Maltin fuq l-Internet.
Filwaqt li fil-prinċipju naqblu mal-ħarsien tad-drittijiet tal-Maltin u l-Għawdxin fuq l-Internet, jidhrilna li dan il-pass tal-Prim Ministru kien risposta għaġġelija biex jipprova jikkalma s-sitwazzjoni.
Aħna bhala Partit Laburista u Moviment ta’ ideat ġodda nemmnu li l-kreattivita’ trid tkun inkoraġġita u protetta. Aħna kontra l-piraterija fuq l-Internet. Aħna lesti niqfulha, imma mhux billi nġiegħlu lill-internet service providers jagħmluha ta’ pulizija fuq il-klijenti tagħhom.
Is-soluzzjoni tagħna hija li nedukaw lill-users u ngħinu lil min hu kreattiv biex il-prodotti u servizzi jwassalhom fis-suq bi prezz aċċessibbli. B’hekk mhux biss ngħinu l-kreattivita’ imma anke ngħinu l-ħolqien ta’ iktar opportunitajiet ta’ xogħol.
Il-Partit Laburista se jkompli jsemma’ leħnu dwar l-ACTA sakemm dan il-ftehim internazzjonali jiġi mblukkat għal kollox. Bħala ċittadin Malti għandu jkollok moħħok mistrieħ li se tibqa’ tuża’ l-Internet mingħajr l-ebda biża’ jew xkiel.
Firma250
Joseph Muscat
I wonder what Franco Debono’s professional fees are for such a case.
Quite a few euros one would think and if the couple cannot pay in full, they may give up one child as collateral until the full amount is paid.
Franco’s girlfriend can look after the child while her fiance’ does battle in court or with the Nationalist Party
I wonder, did she turn 18, drop the case and marry him or did she turn 18, marry him and then drop the case?