MALTA
Independent
A court has turned down a request by the victims of clerical sex abuse to have their compensation case reassigned.
Lawrence Grech, Joseph Magro, Leonard Camilleri, David Cassar, Noel Dimech, Angelo Spiteri, Raymond Azzopardi, Charles Falzon, Philip Cauchi and Joseph Mangion had filed a case for compensation after Godwin Pulis and Carmelo Scerri had been found guilty of sexually abusing them at the St Joseph Home in Santa Venera in the late 80s.
The accused were sentenced to five and six years in prison and were later defrocked. Their sentences were confirmed on appeal.
The compensation case had been assigned to Mr Justice J.R. Micallef but the plaintiffs had requested the judge to recuse himself. They argued that since he was the President of the catholic Radju Maria radio station he could not be impartial. The judge had turned down the request and the plaintiffs then filed a separate constitutional application requesting the case to be reassigned.
The application was filed against the Attorney General, the Missionary Society of St Paul, the Archdiocese of Malta, Godwin Scerri and Charles Pulis. The men claimed a breach of their fundamental right to a fair hearing.
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