A cockroach triggered a sequence of events which landed a man in court, accused of domestic violence charges.
The 31 year old accused was arraigned by inspector Paul Camilleri before magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech this morning, accused of attacking his estranged wife and causing her to fear violence in an argument which, the inspector said, broke out over the couple’s autistic son.
The accused interrupted the sitting, saying “she had called me to kill a cockroach. Then I find out that she had a man behind my back. My son is autistic and her boyfriend uses cocaine and alcohol and I don’t want him in my son’s life.”
He pleaded not guilty to the charges, telling the court that he could not afford a bail deposit as his wife had withdrawn his money from the bank – a fact which the inspector confirmed.
The magistrate granted the man bail against a personal guarantee of €4000, ordering him to keep away from his wife and the family home, also warning him that if he breached the conditions and was unable to pay the guarantee, his guarantee would be converted to prison time.
The Court, in order to protect the victim, ordered a ban on the publication of the name of the accused in the press.
Lawyer Chris Frendo was defence counsel.
