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maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 23 APRIL 2025 NEWS KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt 6 Man threatened wife she would end up like 'Bernice' Victim tells court that accused allegedly threw bottle and a book at his daughter • Accused allegedly threatened to cause his wife to miscarry during pregnancy A man was yesterday accused of threatening, assaulting and har- assing his wife and at one point allegedly threatened her she would end up like Bernice Cilia. Bernice Cilia was shot dead by her estranged husband at the Corradino Industrial Estate back in November 2022. The accused did so in front of his two-year-old daughter, an act which he faced as a separate charge. The man pleaded not guilty to the charges. Inspector Audrey Micallef told the court that the accused, an aviation engineer resident in Mosta, attempted to choke his wife twice. The inspector testi- fied that he also allegedly told her that she will end up like Ber- nice Cilia if she leaves him. The court heard how the po- lice were informed that the cou- ple's daughter had entered the bedroom and asked the mother, the victim, to read her a book. The accused subsequently threw a book and a water bot- tle at them. Following this, the mother left the room and the accused attempted to choke her twice. The victim then attempt- ed to take photos of her injuries but the accused snatched her mobile phone away from her. She told the police that this was not the first time her husband had done such a thing. She also said the accused started hurt- ing her before their marriage and his treatment of her subse- quently "got worse" during the pregnancy. She emphasised that he had threatened to "miscarry" her pregnancy, had previously punched her in the face and hit her legs. During one of the ar- guments when she attempted to leave him, he warned her that she would "end up like Bernice". Defence lawyers requested bail but the prosecution object- ed out of fear that he would try and contact the victim. The de- fence argued that the victim and the accused do not reside in the same residence anymore. The accused's father also of- fered to act as a third-party guarantee for his son and gave his address to the court, offer- ing the accused to reside with him in his fixed address. Bail was granted against a €500 deposit and a €5,000 per- sonal guarantee and a curfew was imposed. A protection order was also is- sued in favour of the victim for a period of three years. Inspector Audrey Micallef prosecuted. Magistrate Gabriel- la Vella presided over the court. Defence lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Adreana Zammit appeared for the accused. Man threatened wife she would end up like domestic violence victim Bernice Cilia (File photo) Francis Zammit Dimech to be laid to rest on Thursday FORMER Nationalist minis- ter, MEP and secretary general Francis Zammit Dimech will be laid to rest on Thursday at 2pm. The PN said the celebration of his life will be held at the church dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Balluta. Francis Zammit Dimech passed away on Monday at the age of 70. During his career, he occupied a number of ministe- rial portfolios including trans- port, environment, infrastruc- ture, and tourism. He also served as an MEP be- tween 2017 and 2019. Zammit Dimech was then appointed secretary general of the PN be- tween 2020 and 2021, where he also served as chairman of the party's media wing, Media Link Communications. At the time of his death, Zam- mit Dimech served as acting president of Malta. The PN's Dar Ċentrali will be open to the public for those who wish to pay their respects to Francis Zammit Dimech by writing a message in the book of condolences prepared for the occasion. The PN headquarters may be visited today between 9am and 8pm. The party said the leadership was in contact with the family and those closest to Zammit Di- mech in order to make the nec- essary arrangements for the or- ganisation of the final farewell. At the end of the celebration of his life, the cortege will also pass in front of the Dar Ċentra- li. Francis Zammit Dimech Man charged with possession of forged residence permit pleads not guilty JOHN Ebhuoria, 42, was ar- raigned in court and pleaded not guilty to having in his posses- sion a counterfeit document and making use of a forged residence permit. Inspector Christian Abela told the court that after the neces- sary investigations were carried out, the accused's residence per- mit was discovered to be forged. The man, who was of Nigerian nationality, was found with a residence document of Italian origin. On Monday, inspections by the police, detention services offi- cials, Transport Malta, Jobs Plus and Identità were carried out and 19 individuals were found living in Malta illegally. It is believed that the accused is one of the individuals which was arrested during a traffic stop in Marsaskala. The validity of the arrest was not contested. Bail was not re- quested by the defence lawyer and the accused was remanded in custody. Inspector Christian Abela prosecuted. Legal aid lawyer Ingrid Zam- mit Young represented the ac- cused. Magistrate Gabriella Vel- la presided over the court. MAYA GALEA mgalea@mediatoday.com.mt