Husband says wife's knife injury caused by her mobile phone

A Fgura man charged with seriously injuring his wife in the neck with a knife denied causing the injury and blamed it on her mobile phone, a court heard yesterday.

Lucienne Spiteri explained how her husband Louis grabbed a knife from the sink and rushed towards her after she told him she did not think their marriage could be salvaged.

"I stepped backwards to avoid the blow but after some time I felt a burning sensation and realised that I had been cut. When I showed him what he had done he told me I had cut myself with my mobile phone while I was on the phone a few minutes earlier," Mrs Spiteri said.

She testified before Magistrate Antonio Mizzi in the compilation of evidence against her husband Louis, 31, who is pleading not guilty to seriously injuring her in the neck with a knife, threatening to kill her and carrying a knife without a licence at the matrimonial home on Easter Sunday at about noon.

Mrs Spiteri explained how on the day of the incident she was at home talking on her mobile phone when her husband walked in and started complaining because she was on the phone.

When she went into the kitchen to wash the dishes her husband followed her and started speaking about saving their marriage but she told him that she did not think it was possible.

Mrs Spiteri explained how each time her husband brought up the matter the conversation ended with him threatening her.

On the day of the incident, she added, he grabbed a knife from the sink, told her that he was going to hit her with it and walked in her direction.

She explained how she avoided the blow and how her husband denied injuring her and went on to explain how her daughter Kathleen called the police since she could not because her husband had disconnected the phone.

Mrs Spiteri said that when the police arrived her husband denied assaulting her and told police that she had invented the story.

Earlier, Inspector Jesmond Borg explained that incidents between the couple had become more and more grim since last December and that there were other pending court cases of a similar nature.

The case continues.

Police Inspector Borg is prosecuting.

Dr Ludvic Caruana appeared for the defendant.

Dr Jason Azzopardi and Dr Vince Galea are representing the wife.