Court told how woman sleeps in padlocked room in fear of her husband

Accused granted bail, pleads not guilty to moral violence

A woman had to sleep in a padlocked room because she feared her husband, a court was told on Wednesday in a hearing which saw the husband charged with harassing and subjecting his wife to moral violence on a daily basis, including in the presence of their six-year-old child.

The 47-year-old foreign hotel manager, who has been living in Malta for 10 years, setting up a family here, pleaded not guilty to the charges, triggered by the latest report filed by his wife on Monday, and was granted bail.

Prosecuting Inspector Audrey Micallef explained that the domestic violence unit had received four other previous reports by the woman who claimed that the accused subjected her to psychological abuse daily. 

An arrest warrant was issued and executed that same evening.

Upon arraignment, the man, whose name was banned by the court to prevent identification of the alleged victim and other relatives, pleaded not guilty and requested bail.

The accused had been living this situation for the past seven months while the couple were locked in separation proceedings, pointed out his lawyer Michael Sciriha.

There seemed to be a “super effort to criminalise anything done by the man,” and it appeared that this was a move to get him evicted after failing to do so before the civil courts, went on the lawyer, highlighting the “flimsiness” of the charges. 

A request for bail was objected to due to the serious nature of offence and fear of absconding, interfering with witnesses and the course of justice. 

“He has a child he’s fighting hard to continue seeing” and a job too, argued Sciriha, adding that the situation was totally unfamiliar to the accused.

“He feels like he’s living a film.”

But the woman’s lawyer, Kathleen Calleja Grima, promptly rebutted that this was no circumvention of civil proceedings.

“My client is currently sleeping in another room locked with a padlock. That’s how far the situation has come.”

Violence in terms of law is not only physical, intervened the inspector, pointing out that the alleged victim also shared the same workplace.

After hearing submissions and after the accused provided the court with an alternative address in case his request were upheld, Magistrate Rachel Montebello granted bail against a deposit of €2,000, a personal guarantee of €4,000, signing the bail book three times weekly and under the strict conditions of a protection order. 

Lawyer Roberto Spiteri was also defence counsel.