Teenager Tells Court She Put Herself in Sexual Conflict with Bolt Driver
A teenager testified that she was seeking to be kidnapped and killed when she became involved in an encounter with a Bolt driver accused of sexual assault.
Teenager Tells Court She Put Herself in Sexual Conflict with Bolt Driver
A teenager testified in court that she was seeking to be kidnapped and killed when she became involved in an encounter with a Bolt driver who now faces charges of sexual assault.
The testimony took place during proceedings against Amir Hussein, aged 30, who is contesting charges of sexual assault, as reported by Lovin Malta.
According to the victim, everything began after an argument with a friend in Paola. She had ordered a Bolt ride to her home in Santa Lucia, but she told the court that she was already going through a psychological crisis and wished to be kidnapped and killed.
During the ride, she began speaking with the driver and saw the opportunity to carry out these thoughts.
The court heard that the driver complimented her and asked for her phone number, which she gave him. After reaching home, the pair agreed to meet again later that night.
The teenager changed her clothes and met the driver again after he completed another journey.
She told the court that the driver suggested they go to the Blue Grotto, and she agreed because "she wanted things to go wrong."
The pair parked near the rocks, where the driver allegedly made sexual advances and asked her to kiss him.
The young woman insisted that she never wanted the encounter to take on a sexual nature, and explained that she was in a mental state in which she wished to be kidnapped or harmed.
She alleged that the driver grabbed her hand and forced her to touch his private parts despite her attempting to withdraw her hand.
The witness also said that the accused pressured her for sexual actions by arguing that he had made a special effort to pick her up.
During the return journey, she revealed to the driver her emotional state and explained what she had originally wished to happen.
The teenager testified that she told her mother immediately after arriving home. Together they went to the Police Station in Paola to file a report.
During cross-examination, the court heard that she had already tried a similar scheme during a journey with her mother to New York, which resulted in police intervention.
She admitted that she used cannabis with her friends and acknowledged that this made her more impulsive. The witness also confirmed that she had not taken her prescribed psychiatric medication that day.
The defence argued that the teenager had deliberately planned to involve the accused in her plan to be kidnapped and killed.
She acknowledged that these thoughts were not new, and told the court: "This was not the first time I had this plan. I had been planning this for a long time."
The court also heard that, after the alleged incident, she had wanted to go to the accused's home. The witness said that the driver eventually told her that he could not take her there.
After the driver was charged, Bolt issued a statement saying that it takes allegations of misconduct "extremely seriously" and is fully cooperating with police investigation.
The inquiry is being led by Police Inspector Antonello Magri and lawyer Kristina Bartolo from the Office of the Attorney General.
Lawyer Nicolai Bugeja is representing the alleged victim, whilst lawyer Nicholas Mifsud is defending the accused.
Source: Lovin Malta