Lead us by example

Excerpt from TimesOfMalta:

Lawyer and family offered Gozo rape girl €7,000 deal

Two other lawyers, priest involved in the case

A lawyer and close relatives of the men accused of raping a 14-year-old girl persuaded the alleged victim's family to sign a contract stating they would not testify in court in return for €7,000 in "psychological support".

The girl's mother told The Sunday Times that she signed the contract under intense pressure from the group and out of fear of exposing the issue to the Gozitan community. But she regretted it immediately and together with her daughter forged ahead with the complaint.

The defendants, brothers Peter Paul and Josef Said, stand accused of raping the girl, while Mark Lorry Said and Peter Paul Debono were charged with her defilement. They are all under house arrest.

However, the girl's mother said her family had to withstand pressure from a number of people before the case reached the courts.

She said they were approached by close relatives of the Said brothers and a priest, who acted as an intermediary, shortly after the rape and defilement allegations were made last month...