Virus will enforce accused pervert’s bail conditions
An alleged sex offender has been freed on bail because the coronavirus makes it ‘difficult’ for him to flee the country.
Giovanni Maccormack, 67, is said to have preyed on female victims between 1977 and 2004.
He set off on a tour of meditation retreats in 2015 beginning in Italy and ending in Pakistan, Southwark Crown Court heard.
He visited temples across the globe with his partner before splashing out on plane tickets to Abu Dhabi but the trip was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic, it was said.
The pensioner was absent from the brief preliminary hearing as Judge Alexander Milne said he was content for him to remain on bail, bearing in mind ‘the general conditions which now prevail.’
‘It seems unlikely this gentleman would be able to take such a trip in any event,’ the judge said.
‘In the circumstances I am satisfied the grounds for bail are met.’
The judge ordered McCormack to wear an electronic tag and appear via video-link from the nearest crown court for any future hearings.
Maccormack, of Wales, is charged with one count of sexual touching of a female 13 or over, and two counts of indecent assault.
He will return to court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on 20 April.
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