Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541747
2 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 3 DECEMBER 2025 NEWS Man told two-year-old son his mother was a 'whore' and they should beat her, court hears A 32-year-old lorry driver from Bormla was remanded in cus- tody after being accused of har- assment, violent threats and assaulting his former partner in the presence of their two-year- old son. The court heard how he alleg- edly told his son "your mummy is a whore" and "let's give mum a beating". The proceedings follow an incident reported to the po- lice's online reporting system at 2:30am on the night of 30 No- vember, which was subsequent- ly referred to the Domestic Vio- lence Unit at 2:30am. The complainant also filed a report at the Santa Lucia Hub. The dispute began the day before. The complainant had agreed to allow the accused to see their child, who is almost two years old. Later that day, the accused ap- proached the complainant at a sports complex. When she refused to speak to him and was entering her car, with her foot still outside, the accused allegedly grabbed her by the shoulders, and drove her to the Xgħajra area of Bormla. The accused allegedly pulled her from the car and pushed her against a fence. During this time, in the pres- ence of their toddler, the ac- cused allegedly insulted the complainant in front of their son, telling him "mummy's a whore", and threatening to "give mum a beating". The complainant later saw the accused approaching her at the Birgu swings. She told him they could not remain together and should only communicate regarding the child. He left but later found her near her house, calling from an unknown num- ber. Following the reports, a danger assessment carried out in Santa Lucija resulted in a Scale 4 rat- ing, indicating extreme danger. A warrant of arrest was issued, and the accused was apprehend- ed when he went to sign his bail book at the Bormla police sta- tion. During submissions, the de- fence did not contest the valid- ity of the arrest. The accused is reported to already have a psy- chologist and a probation of- ficer. The accused showed the pros- ecuting officer two emails from the complainant clarifying that their relationship, which he de- scribed as "on again off again." He said the victim filed a report filed whenever there was a hic- cup in their relationship, The prosecution strongly op- posed bail, referencing the grav- ity and nature of the accusations and the accused's character. It was noted the accused has a prior history involving two pre- vious protection orders, four bails, and two probations, and is accused of being a repeat of- fender. The court also issued a pro- tection order, strictly forbids the accused from contacting the complainant either directly or indirectly. Should the accused breach any of the imposed conditions, he faces a penalty of €7,000. Inspector Colin Sheldon pros- ecuted. Lawyers Franco Debono and Adreana Zammit appeared for the accused. ĦALEY XUEREB hxuereb@mediatoday.com.mt Man dies in two-storey fall after truck he was driving suffered mechanical failure A 50-year-old man from Ra- bat, Malta died after falling the equivalent of two storeys when the truck he was in suf- fered a mechanical failure. The incident occurred at around 1:15pm in Dwejra, on the outskirts of Mġarr. A medical team and Civil Protection Department of- ficers were called to the scene to assist, but the man was certified dead on site. Magistrate Monica Borg Galea was informed of the case and appointed an in- quiry. Police investigations into the incident are ongoing. KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt Hearse (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) A police forensic officer on the school grounds on Monday when the stabbing occurred (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) Student denied bail CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 On bail, the defence argued that "freedom is the rule, not the exception". They requested bail with supervision and of- fered an alternative residence in San Ġwann. The prosecution strongly op- posed bail due to the gravity of the charges. They stressed the high risk of tampering with many underage witnesses who have yet to testify. They argued the attack was premeditated, that the accused had breached a school suspension by turn- ing up armed, and that he had previously sent threatening messages to students and made generic threats about the head- master. The accused was denied bail due to a reasonable fear of tam- pering with evidence and the gravity of the crime. Plenty of witnesses still need to testify in the case too. The magistrate ordered the prison director to grant the accused all necessary medical help, including any psycholog- ical support he might need due to the bullying he suffered in the past. The student's name or identi- ty cannot be published due to a court ban on publication. The court also ordered any photos of the accused to be blurred out. Inspectors Kurt Colombo Zahra, Christian Xuereb, and Kelsey Bugeja prosecuted. Lawyers Franco Debono, Mar- ion Camilleri and Leslie Cus- chieri represented the accused. Lawyers Stefano Filetti and Arthur Azzopardi were parte civile. Magistrate Abigail Criten pre- sided over the case.