Councillor and former goalkeeper Justin Haber guilty of threatening his sister
Floriana councillor sent his relative a threatening text message, court finds
Updated 4.20pm with Haber statement
Floriana councillor and former footballer Justin Haber has been handed a restraining order after a court found him guilty of threatening his sister.
While Haber pleaded not guilty to criminal charges upon his arraignment, he subsequently admitted under oath that on January 8 he sent his sister a voice message in which he threatened to behead her.
In the voice message, Haber can be heard telling his sister that she is stressing their mother with her behaviour.
"Mum is very, very worried. If you keep this up, she will suffer. If something happens to mum because of you, I will cut your [expletive] head off," he said.
His sister, who testified that she feared her brother, subsequently filed a police report. The police investigated and opted to press charges.
The woman told the court it was the second time she had gone to the police following threats made by her brother.
Haber – a former national team goalkeeper – was charged under summons, rather than arrest.
Magistrate Nadia Vella found him guilty and issued a restraining order against him, forbidding him from approaching or contacting his sister for one year. Should he fail to abide by those terms, he will be liable to a €2,000 fine.
In a public statement on Tuesday afternoon, Haber said he deeply regretted his words, which he attributed to being under stress due to a parent's health concerns.
"Every child, when faced with the pain and suffering of a parent — especially one battling cancer — naturally feels overwhelmed and emotionally vulnerable. In such moments, the priority becomes the wellbeing of that parent. Under immense stress, people sometimes say things they do not mean," he said.
Haber, 43, won 54 caps for Malta as a goalkeeper in the course of a 25-year football career that saw him play for top sides in Malta as well as France, Greece, the UK and Turkey.
He was elected to the Floriana local council in 2022 after contesting on the Labour Party ticket.