Witness tells court about suspicions between 2021 and 2022, after reading text messages

The trial of a 33-year-old man accused of five counts of sexual activity involving a child is underway at the Supreme Court.

Edinburgh Estate resident Joshua Benabu denies all charges. 

A prosecution witness has has told the court he first became suspicious of alleged abuse between 2021 and 2022, after reading text messages.

However, it was not until late 2022 or early 2023 that the complainant disclosed the allegations, providing details of the alleged abuse.

Under cross-examination, defence lawyer Neil Costa questioned why the witness had not reported his suspicions to police after reading the messages, or when the allegations were subsequently disclosed.

The witness confirmed he had not contacted police at the time but said he had reported the matter to a social worker.

He eventually provided a statement to the Royal Gibraltar Police in 2024.