Lawrence Grech and Friends Doing Everything for Money – Giannella De Marco

Malta Independent
June 16, 2012

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=145948

Defence lawyer Giannella de Marco said victims of priestly sexual abuse met and agreed on the case to try and get as much financial gain as possible from those who gave them so much during their upbringing.

Two priests were last August found guilty of sexually abusing minors under their care, and were jailed for six years and five years respectively.

Carmelo Pulis was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of abusing nine boys. Francesco sive Godwin Scerri was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment after the court found him guilty of sexually abusing two boys. He was cleared of raping one of the boys because the victim alleged the case had happened in Marfa, and later explained it had happened at St Joseph Home.

The two priests were defrocked last year following investigations the Vatican carried out.

In her submissions, Dr de Marco, who is representing the priests together with Dr Joseph Giglio, said the court was wrong to have ignored crucial points the defence has made. She noted the majority of cases, that go back to 1986, are time-barred and no criminal action can be taken on their basis.

The court of magistrates was therefore wrong to have measured a continuous crime by taking into consideration when it started and ended.

The hearing was presided over by Judge David Scicluna, who kept the session going despite a bomb threat at the Courts of Justice.

Dr de Marco insisted Lawrence Grech, one of the victims, is a “liar” and the person behind the mudslinging against the priests. In over four hours of submissions, she focused a lot on Carmelo Pulis saying that after serving as a priest for 30 years, without anyone ever saying any disparaging words against him, Lawrence Grech entered the scene and started getting people together in parties he organised. Their aim was to damage the priests’ reputation. In one of the parties, he invited Fr Pulis, describing him as the best priest at St Joseph Home and even giving him a gift at the end.

Mr Grech had asked the priest to officiate his marriage ceremony and when the priest happened to be in Australia, he asked him to visit his family to see his daughter. She added that while Mr Grech does not pick up his daughter or kiss her, because of fear he says stems from his abuse, he let Father Pulis show his affection. She was certain he let the priest pick her up as Mr Grech knew he never did children any harm.

“Lawrence Grech is a person who likes attention and did what he did for personal gain,” she said. “He is trying to impress the media and to even earn money from the BBC, but they did not swallow the bait”.

Dr de Marco went on to point out that Mr Grech himself had abused of his mate at the home, causing him fear, and this had happened in front of Mr Grech’s wife and daughter. The victims meanwhile contradicted themselves by saying that Fr Pulis loved them and that he also abused them.

Meanwhile, there were others, including a certain John Debattista who frequented St Joseph Home, and had nothing wrong to say against the former priest.

She hopes justice will be served according to the law.

Lawyers Philip Galea Farrugia and Maxilene Cassar are leading prosecution on behalf of the Attorney General’s Office while Dr Patrick Valetino is appearing a parte civile.

The case continues to be heard at 10am on Monday.