A 70-year old man ended up facing domestic violence charges for verbally abusing his wife and children, after having earlier on been met with a language barrier when trying to file a report at the local police station. 

The man was escorted to court under arrest after officers from social agency Appogg had returned a “high risk” result on a report filed by his wife who claimed to have been threatened by the accused. 

The couple were reportedly going through separation proceedings after their 23-year marriage had ended on the rocks, prosecuting Inspector Jonathan Ransley told the court, explaining that the police had acted upon the social workers’ report after the alleged victims had claimed to be living in fear of violence. 

Defence lawyer Noel Bartolo contested the arrest, exclaiming, “I cannot believe that this man had to be arraigned under arrest.”

Inspector Ransley confirmed that the report had only referred to verbal abuse and moreover, no previous reports had been filed by the accused or his relatives. 

“I have been stationed there for seven years and his name never cropped up,” said the inspector, explaining further that the man had been accompanied to hospital while under police custody due to high blood pressure. 

Dr Bartolo pointed out that he had advised his client to file a police report, sensing that the man’s wife would attempt the move herself to use the criminal proceedings as leverage in the family court case.

But unfortunately, the man had been turned away at the police station by officers who claimed inability to communicate in Italian, the lawyer went on. 

A request for bail was upheld by the court, presided over by magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace, after the accused’s son, from a previous marriage, took the witness stand to confirm that he could offer an alternative address to his father. 

Bail was granted under strict conditions of not approaching in any manner his wife and other children, against a €10,000 guarantee.