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A member of the museum chapter of the Christian Doctrine Society has been jailed for two and a half years for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old boy during an organised seaside trip.
Kevin Mifsud, 50, admitted to defilement and sexual intercourse with a minor in his care in 2021, but sentencing was delayed due to a number of factors, including the reassignment of the case to another magistrate.
Prosecuting police officer Joseph Busuttil told magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit that the abuse itself took place in 2017 and 2018 and the victim was still suffering from psychological trauma.
The boy was referred to the school psychologist at Archbishop Seminary Primary School and was found to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, palpitations and nightmares. It was there that the child told the school psychologist that Mifsud would touch his private parts during trips to the beach.
On the witness stand, the boy’s father told the court that he realized something was wrong when his son’s academic performance suddenly dropped. After the matter was reported to police, a representative of the museum offered to pay for his son’s medical and psychological treatment. The child’s mother testified that her son suffered from severe anxiety as a result of the abuse, which affected his academic performance.
The victim, now 17, also testified that she was harassed several times while participating in swimming trips organized by Xrobb l-Għaġin and Wied iż-Żurrieq. Sexual abuse occurred on every trip that involved swimming.
The court heard a social worker testify that Mifsud had previously been in trouble with the law for child pornography and he told her that being constantly surrounded by children made him “curious” and pushed him from fantasy to actual abuse.
The social worker concluded that although Mifsud did not suffer from any mental illness or learning disability, he needed psychological intervention. She said a treatment order was not enough for a case like his because it would take a long time to resolve the psychological aspects of the problem, she told the court, and would require close monitoring.
The court noted that although Mifsud admitted to the abuse, he had never shown any remorse, which was compounded by his contact with minors in his teaching position, his close friendship with the victim and the trust he had gained from the boy’s parents.
In a judgement handed down on Tuesday, the court sentenced Mifsud to two years in prison, imposed a five-year treatment order on him and ordered his name to be placed on the sex offenders register.
The case was investigated by Inspector Joseph Busuttil.
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