An anonymous donation has enabled a man to pay his missed alimony payments and see his only son again after almost three months.
JP Chetcuti’s work as a taxi driver ground to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic and he says he could not afford to pay his monthly alimony.
He claimed his ex-partner refused to allow him to see his son until he paid up, forcing him to release a video about his situation on social media to express his anger. The video went viral and had more than 22,000 views.
Insisting on remaining anonymous and receiving no credit for their donation, two men handed him a sum of money so he could pay the pending alimony and see his six-year-old son again.
Chetcuti admitted he was emotionally overcome by the generosity, despite turning down previous offers of monetary help by people who understood his heartfelt plea.
When contacted, Chetcuti explained how his relationship with his former partner hit the rocks around three years ago when his business in Valletta was also collapsing. He could not take the pressure of seeing his world coming crashing down around him so he turned to drugs to find solace. He became a heavy cocaine user but insisted he always paid his €300 a month alimony.
When COVID-19 began, my taxi work stopped and I was not making any money to pay the alimony
“I feel ashamed of what I did, especially because I always wanted to be the best father my son could have. But I could not take the pressure. I eventually lost the business, which had been forced onto me by my family, and tried several other jobs but none of them suited me. I finally became a taxi driver and I found my happy job.
“I reformed myself, just thanks to my own willpower. I did not attend any drug rehabilitation programme and I have been clean for almost 18 months,” he said proudly.
Chetcuti said he never missed his alimony payments. There were times when he paid it at the end of the month instead of at the beginning, but he never missed the payments.
“When COVID-19 began, my taxi work stopped and I was not making any money to pay the alimony. I tried explaining this to my ex but she told me she would not allow me to see my son unless I paid up. She even filed police reports and the police called me asking how I was going to pay,” he said.
“My son is my blood and I love him to bits but I believe the law needs to change to give parents equal rights over the children. There are loads of men going through my same situation and I don’t think it’s fair. The only time I can spend with my son is three-hours slots, twice a week and every alternate weekend,” he added.
Through his lawyer, Mario Mifsud, Chetcuti will be filing an application before the family court to inform the court of his financial situation during the pandemic.
Chetcuti said he posted his video on Facebook out of anger and love for his son and never expected it to go viral.
“I even got calls from the Prime Minister’s Office and was told there was an opening with a private company. I’m waiting for them to call me for an interview. I had several people offering me money but I did not want compassion. I just wanted to see and hug my son again.”