A 35-year-old man has been granted bail pending sentencing after admitting to threatening to kill his former partner and her family during a series of domestic disputes allegedly linked to maintenance payments for their two young children.

Maikel Torres Guiamet, a Cuban national who lives in Luqa and works in construction, was arraigned under arrest and charged with causing his former partner to fear violence, threatening and insulting her, and misusing electronic communications.

The court heard that on 6 October, officers from the Domestic Violence Unit received a report from the accused's former partner, who claimed that he had been sending her threatening messages.

According to the prosecution, the disputes largely stemmed from disagreements over maintenance payments for the couple's two young children, aged two years and seven months.

Although no court order requiring maintenance payments was in place, the accused had reportedly been providing financial support voluntarily. However, he subsequently stopped making payments after experiencing difficulties at work.

The court heard that the situation escalated into a series of threatening exchanges, with the accused allegedly telling his former partner that he would kill her and her family.

During one incident, the man allegedly made a video call while in the company of his cousin, during which he threatened to kill his former partner if she approached him. He allegedly displayed a knife during the video call and repeated his threats.

The prosecution also referred to allegations of physical violence dating back to the beginning of the year. However, no medical certificates were produced to substantiate those allegations.

The court was also informed that the former partner had allegedly made threats towards the accused during their disputes.

The accused pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him.

Although he admitted guilt, the court did not proceed to sentencing during Thursday's sitting.

The defence consequently requested bail pending sentencing, arguing that the accused and his former partner did not live together and that he would not approach or contact her.

The court ultimately upheld the request and granted the accused bail against a personal guarantee of €5,000.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

Inspector Audrey Micallef prosecuted, while lawyer Mario Mifsud and Nicholas Mifsud represented the accused.

Magistrate Gabriella Vella presided over the sitting.