A man who was accused of grievous bodily harm on his partner was granted bail after the woman forgave him – leading to the prosecuting inspector to suspect that there was “foul play” in the matter.
The man, a 38-year-old from Luqa whose name cannot be published by court order, was arraigned before Magistrate Josette Demicoli on Tuesday accused of causing grievous bodily harm, as well as insulting the woman, threatening her and exceeding the limits of provocation.
The court heard how the victim had gone to the police station with injuries to her face which were later classified in hospital as being grievous.
Prosecuting Inspector Eman Hayman said that the woman, who appeared in court with stitches under her eye and a bruise on her arm, had said that the injuries had been inflicted by the accused, who was arrested almost immediately and subsequently arraigned.
Franco Debono, who was appearing for the accused, entered a plea of not guilty and requested bail – something which the prosecution objected to.
Lawyer Yanika Bugeja, appearing parte civile for the victim, stated that at this stage her client wished to forgive the accused, but made it clear that if granted bail, he must live at a separate address.
Inspector Hayman said that the man had a criminal record and that he was concerned about tampering with evidence. He noted how the woman had asked the police to find her a secure location, but how she had now forgiven him.
“It’s either a miracle, or the tampering has already started,” the inspector observed.
After hearing the submissions, the court ruled that in the circumstances bail should be granted, as should a temporary supervision order and a protection order in favour of the woman.
The court upheld a request for a ban on the publication of the name of the accused to protect minors involved in the case.
The accused’s bail was secured by a deposit of €1,000 and a personal guarantee of €9,000, and he was ordered to deposit his passport within 24 hours, sign a bail book three times a week, and observe a curfew.
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