A Zejtun man’s sentence was changed from a two-month jail term to conditional discharge, after the Court of Criminal Appeal cleared him of verbally threatening his wife, but confirmed that he had insulted her and had slightly injured her and their daughter.

The man, whose name is not being published to protect the identity of his wife and daughter, had been charged with insulting and verbally threatening his wife at their home in Zejtun in August last year.

He had also been charged with assaulting and in turn slightly injuring his wife and daughter. The prosecuting officer had included these as two separate charges, but the appeals court declared that they should be considered as one.

The court ruled that the man should be cleared of verbally threatening his wife, but confirmed the other charges, after it took into consideration that the case was a domestic incident – with the active involvement of the accused, his wife and daughter – that was blown out of proportion.

The court also took into consideration that the accused’s criminal record only included two traffic contraventions.

The appeal was presided over by Mr Justice David Scicluna.