An attack on a former partner has landed a man in the dock, accused of bodily harm.

Dave Delia, 24, from Cospicua, was accused of slightly injuring his former partner in Floriana last night. He was under a suspended sentence at the time and is also accused of being a recidivist.

Inspectors Jeffrey Scicluna and Priscilla Caruana Lee told magistrate Gabriella Vella that Delia had visited his ex at her house. An argument ensued with the woman, who was with her new boyfriend at the time. The police said she claimed that the accused had “attacked her with a chair before pushing her on to the bed and cutting her hair with a pair of scissors.”

Defence lawyer Luciano Busuttil entered a not guilty plea and requested bail.

Inspector Scicluna objected due to the nature of the accident, as well as the risk of him approaching witnesses, the fact that Delia was a recidivist and had allegedly breached a suspended sentence.

Busuttil replied that the injuries suffered by the woman were slight. The accused had previously kept bad company and had ended up with a stained criminal record, but after leaving prison the accused had found work and had been in a stable relationship, said the lawyer.

“His continued detention would benefit nobody,” said the lawyer, arguing that the court could impose conditions to prevent him from approaching the woman or her family. “If he remains under arrest his good work and progress will all be lost,” Busuttil submitted.

Bail was granted against a deposit of €300 and a personal guarantee of €3,000, the accused also being ordered to observe a curfew.  A protection order in favour of the woman was also issued.