A man was given a two-year jail term suspended for four years after he admitted to slapping his girlfriend in the face and trying to set fire to her car after she tried to stop him from taking drugs while he was preparing to attend a rehabilitation programme.

The man, 38 from Zejtun, pleaded guilty to slightly injuring his partner, causing her to fear him and trying to set fire to her car on February 25.

Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi heard how, on February 25, a woman filed a report at the police domestic violence unit. She reported her partner, who she had been with for 18 years. They had two children, aged 17 and seven. 

The woman said that her partner was staying at the Mount Carmel Hospital Dual Diagnosis Unit as he was preparing to start a drug rehabilitation programme on March 20.

He called her and told her he was leaving. On February 24, the couple spent the day together. The following day, after he left her, she could not reach him. She eventually found that he was with a friend in Birzebbuga. She suspected what was going on, so she drove there. When she arrived she saw that he had white powder on his nose.

When she asked him if he was at it again, he slapped her. They drove home and, while in the garage, he tried to set fire to her car using a small barbeque gas cylinder – this happened in front of their seven-year-old.

The magistrate noted that the accused cooperated with police and was signed up to start a rehabilitation programme.

The magistrate issued a protection order prohibiting him from approaching the woman. The magistrate also issued a three-year treatment order for the accused to tackle his addiction programme. Once this has been ordered by the court now, the accused will face legal consequences if he drops out of the rehabilitation programme.

Names are not being published to protect the victim.

AG lawyers Valentina Cassar and Joseph Camilleri prosecuted with Police Inspector Audrey Micallef.

Lawyer Silvan Pulis represented the accused.