A 47-year-old man from Ħamrun was granted bail on Friday after pleading not guilty to charges of domestic assault and damaging his former partner's phone.

The accused appeared before the court following an incident that took place between 4am and 6am on 15 August in Ħamrun.

According to facts presented in court, the dispute arose between Friday night and Saturday morning when the alleged victim wanted to go out instead of staying home.

The victim subsequently received medical care at Mater Dei Hospital, where medical doctor Maxine Ciantar certified her injuries.

The accused is facing charges of causing slight bodily harm to his former partner, damaging her Redmi mobile phone, causing insults and threats exceeding the limits of provocation, as well as breaching a protection order issued in July 2025. He is also being accused of recidivism.

Upon the request for bail, the prosecution points out that despite an existing restraining order, the couple had remained in a relationship, and the alleged victim had actively maintained contact with the accused.

It was noted that while the victim was in hospital seeking care for her injuries, she sent the accused messages asking him to fetch her clothes and stay with her.

When the police came to arrest the accused, the couple were on a video call at that point, with the victim being heard asking "You're going to arrest him?", over the phone, despite her initiating the report.

Therefore, addressing concerns over tampering with evidence, the prosecution stated there was no basis for it to be an issue considering that it was the alleged victim who actively sought out interaction with her alleged abuser.

The magistrate granted the accused bail against a €2,000 personal guarantee.

The court explicitly warned the accused against approaching or attempting to contact the victim under any circumstances as the protection order is still active, emphasising he must refrain from any interaction even if she attempts to initiate contact herself.

This case was presided over by magistrate Jean Paul Grech.

Inspector Audrey Micallef led the prosecution.

Lawyer Martina Herrera appeared for the defence of the accused.