Man fined, handed restraining order after threatening phone calls over access to his son
Father of a four-year-old boy fined and prohibited from contacting his estranged partner after admitting to bombarding her with threatening phone calls, messages and uninvited visits, because she was withholding access to their son
The father of a four-year-old boy has been fined and prohibited from contacting his estranged partner after admitting to bombarding her with threatening phone calls, messages and uninvited visits, because she was withholding access to their son.
Inspector Colin Sheldon told Magistrate Anne Marie Thake that the police had received several reports about the defendant, a 42-year-old truck driver from Fgura, threatening and harassing a woman between 7 and 9 July.
He explained that the defendant had previously been in an eight-year relationship with the woman in question, with whom he has a four-year-old autistic son.
The defendant told the court that as part of separation proceedings, the courts had granted him joint access to the son in the presence of the mother, once a week. The court was not provided with a copy of the decree, however.
“One fine day,” the woman had stopped granting him access, explained the inspector.
When the reports were made, the Domestic Violence unit had called the man in for questioning. Not long after that, he had phoned the unit, telling them he was suicidal. After tracing his whereabouts, the police had taken the man to hospital, where he was admitted in order to undergo tests until his discharge, yesterday.
The reports involved a large number of threatening calls, messages and unexpected visits to the woman’s home, where the defendant would demand to be allowed to see his son. On one occasion, he had also gone to the woman’s workplace to try and speak to her, added the inspector. “There was never any physical confrontation,” he said.
“The woman insisted that she was afraid that something would happen,” said the inspector.
The defendant had also told the police that he recognised the error of his ways. Inspector Sheldon said, adding that he believed him.
Defence lawyer Adriano Spiteri informed the court that his client was going to plead guilty. The court then warned the man that three of the charges he was going to admit to were imprisonable offences and another carried a fine of up to €25,000, giving the defendant time to reconsider his plea.
The man confirmed his admission of guilt when asked again, several minutes later.
After discussing the punishment with the prosecution and defence lawyers, the court fined him €2,000, payable within three-years and placed the man on probation for three years, as well as imposing a three-year restraining order, prohibiting him from speaking or contacting the woman in any way other than through his lawyer.
The court imposed a media ban on the publication of the names of the individuals involved.
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