A 21-year-old Bulgarian man today was given a suspended sentence after admitting to threatening to kill his mother and her partner in a drunken fury.

Taking the witness stand before Magistrate Charmaine Galea, the mother said that her son has been in Malta for the past year but has been living in her St Paul's Bay apartment for the last five months.

She told the court that her son lost control whenever he was drunk.

The mother and her partner had been urging the accused to get his life together and try to hold on to a job.

Things came to a head yesterday when the accused threatened to kill his mother and her partner with a knife. 

Prosecuting officer Maurice Curmi told the court that the accused had been arrested last month after being caught strolling naked in Qawra. He had been admitted to Mount Carmel Hospital but was not receiving any treatment or care.

Asked by the magistrate whether he wished to return to his native Bulgaria, the accused replied: "Maybe I'll go. But if I find a place where to live, I will stay for sure". 

The court sentenced him to three months imprisonment suspended for two years and issued a protection order in favour of his mother and her partner, ordering him not to approach them for a period of three years. 

Legal aid lawyer Francine Abela appeared for the accused.