"Now, I'm of the understanding that in many cases of rape it does not involve any pregnancy because of the trauma of the incident," Nielson said. "Therefore, it is a logical conclusion that any woman who got pregnant after such a despicable and gruesome act must have, in fact, enjoyed it even on a small scale, which eventually led to the obvious consequences.

The Church earlier today came out strongly against the government’s plans to criminalise conversion “therapies” of LGBT+ people, warning that the Bill “will affirm the superior legal status of homosexuals over heterosexuals”.

In a position paper, it also warned that the law will “make it a crime to assist paedophiles whose condition is manifested in same sex behaviour” and “promote discrimination, disrespect for personal autonomy, and distrust in the accountability of professional bodies”.

A Mellieha man who seriously injured an Australian who implied he was gay, got off with a conditional discharge today after the court considered he had been provoked, and that the perceived insult might not have been acceptable in a locality like Mellieha.

The incident happened in the early hours of March 21, 2004.

The court heard that Alan Gauci, 36, had been in a bar when with Australian Jeremy Lalic insinuated that he (Gauci) was gay.

In his police statement the accused admitted he was fuming as he left the bar and started heading home, and he admitted thinking that the Australian deserved to be hit by a car.

As he drove home, he saw Lalic and ran him over, causing him serious permanent injuries.

During the proceedings, the prosecutor said he did not think the incident would have happened had there not been provocation.