A Labour councillor is being charged with four counts of repeated harassment, The Malta Independent has learnt.

Neil Attard, deputy mayor of Xghajra, is expected to appear before a court in a case which is set to commence in October after various police reports were filed against him.

Last year, Mr Attard was found guilty of harassing, causing fear of violence and threatening his former partner, in a judgment was handed down in December 2014.

However, following the judgment, the deputy mayor had several other police reports filed against him, this time by a separate alleged victim.

Mr Attard sent several threatening messages to the victim, some of which are explicit and contain vulgar and abusive language. Such messages persisted even after Mr Attard was warned by the police to stop.

Sources have also confirmed that the Labour Party and the Office of the Prime Minister have been informed of the charges against the Labour councillor.

Mr Attard was first elected to the Xghajra Local Council in March 2013.

Previous judgment

In December 2014, Magistrate Doreen Clarke gave Mr Attard a four-month prison sentence, suspended for three years for harassment and threats towards his former partner

The court had heard how the crimes were committed after Mr Attard’s former partner decided to terminate her relationship with him, the father of her child.  The former partner explained that Mr Attard did not want to accept the fact that the relationship had ended and even used their daughter to get to her.  When the woman insisted that she did not want to get back into a relationship, he would insult and threaten her with her life.