Carmel Agius, an art teacher from Fgura, convicted of sexually abusing a 12-year-old student during art lessons in 2018, has been banned from the teaching profession. 

Agius, jailed in February last year for groping at least one pupil, appealed the verdict, but his appeal was rejected, confirming a two-year jail sentence. 

Education Minister Clifton Grima withdrew Agius’s teaching warrant, placing him on the sex offenders register.

The court, while rejecting a publication ban on Agius’s name, prohibited the disclosure of the state school and the victim’s identity. The victim, testifying before Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, recounted the abuse during a canvas project, revealing Agius’s inappropriate touching. 

The mother filed a police report, leading to an investigation that involved over 50 of Agius’s art school students. Agius faces separate criminal proceedings for incidents at his private art studio, and Police Inspector John Spiteri is prosecuting the case.

#MaltaDaily