Four brothers and a friend, one of whom is linked to an alleged abduction in Rabat, were prosecuted over phone threats, following an incident during which bottles and metal pieces were thrown into a woman’s Marsascala home. 

The case concerned two episodes which took place in December 2019 when brothers Keith, Ryan, Burton and Zven Azzopardi, from Cospicua, along with Marlon Baldacchino from Żabbar, allegedly vowed to take revenge on the woman’s son.

On December 27, the mother received a text from Zven, threatening to “cut off her son’s legs” over allegations that he had stolen a car bumper and headlamps. 

The text was peppered with verbal abuse against members of the woman’s family. 

Shortly after receiving that message, three of the brothers along with Baldacchino drove up to a Cospicua residence where the woman was at the time. 

They got out of the vehicle, Burton armed with a wooden rod, while Keith tried to pull him back.  

Baldacchino drove the car up to the residence’s façade, pressing down on the gas.

The woman stood up to the gang, facing Burton and asking whether he intended to hit her with the rod. 

On Sunday night, two of her son’s vehicles were torched. 

On December 30, while smoking a cigarette outside a Marsascala residence, her son’s nine-month-old child inside with a third party, all five accused turned up, one of them armed with a length of metal. 

Baldacchino was carrying a purple box. 

All at once, pieces of metal and wine bottles flew in the air, aimed at the home while Keith broke down the door. 

Ryan and Burton smashed the son’s car that was parked outside, while Baldacchino threw bottles at the house. 

The son tried to defend himself, armed with a fire extinguisher, the woman later testified. 

The gang were subsequently charged with attempted grievous bodily harm, willful damage to third party property, slightly injuring the woman, carrying irregular weapons and breaching the peace.

They were also charged with harassment, causing mother and son to fear violence, misusing of electronic communications equipment as well as breaching court conditions. 

They pleaded not guilty.

When delivering judgment, the court, presided over by Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo, observed that the only evidence that could shed light on the dynamics of the incident was the woman’s testimony. 

There was no doubt that her property had been damaged. 

But all she could confirm was that she saw objects thrown in the direction of her home.

The prosecution did not prove that the accused intended to injure both mother and son and consequently the accusation of attempted grievous bodily harm was not proven. 

Her son chose not to testify. 

Some of the accused admitted to the vehicle damage and their statements proved four of them guilty of this charge.

As for the woman’s slight injuries, although she had some bruising, she had not mentioned this when testifying. 

There was no doubt that all co-accused were out for revenge and all threw items at the victims’ residence. 

All were found guilty of carrying irregular weapons and breaching the public peace. 

Other charges were not sufficiently proven. 

When all was considered, the court found the five accused variously guilty, condemning each to different punishments.

Keith was conditionally discharged for 24 months, Ryan was handed a two-month sentence suspended for 24 months, Baldacchino was handed a two-month effective jail term less the time spent in preventive custody while Burton and Zven were each conditionally discharged for three years.

All five were placed under a three-year restraining order in respect of the mother and son.

Inspector Eman Hayman prosecuted.  Lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and George Anton Buttigieg were defence counsel.