Court rejects sexual abuse claims but expresses sorrow at girl's turbulent childhood

Doubts on the credibility of a 13-year-old girl who lost her mother at a very young age led to the acquittal of a distant relative who had been charged with sexually abusing her.
The police had been alerted on the case in 2011 by government entity Aġenzija Appoġġ, which raised the alarm about two members of the girl’s family, including the accused.
The man, whose name cannot be published by court order, was related to the minor’s mother who passed away about 10 years ago due to a terminal illness. Due to her mother’s inability to take care of her, the girl spent some time living in children’s homes and was subsequently adopted.
Unfortunately, the minor experienced further trauma at such tender age claiming she was being mistreated by her adoptive parents, to the point that she escaped.

She then sought refuge with the accused and his wife but after some time went to live with her aunt where she also did not last long. It was during this period that the minor claimed she had been abused both by the defendant and her aunt’s husband.
In the case of the accused, the girl alleged that when she was about six years old she had been shown pornographic material during a sleep over. She...