Jailed for seriously injuring his wife

A 52-year old taxi driver from Hamrun was yesterday jailed for four months and 15 days after on Monday he pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to his estranged wife, on Christmas Day 1999, by hitting her on the head with a spade.

The court, presided over by Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono, also fined the man, George Cucciardi, Lm976 to cover court expenses.

The prison term is to be reduced by the time Cucciardi spent in preventive custody.

At Monday's court sitting, after plea bargaining between the accused's defence team, Jason Azzopardi and Joseph Giglio, and the senior counsel to the republic, Mark Said, the original bill of indictment, which charged Cucciardi with attempted homicide, was amended to one of grievous injury. While attempted murder carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment, grievous injury, in this case the result of provocation by Cucciardi's wife, Mary Grace, carries a maximum penalty of three months rising to six months because the man is a relapser.

The incident took place at a residence in Old Bakery Street, Valletta where Cucciardi's wife was living with her partner, Neriku Grixti.

According to the bill of indictment, Cucciardi had found out where his wife was staying, had followed her there and had kicked the door in.

His wife had swung at him with a spade, hitting him in his left hand, with Cucciardi wrestling the spade away and then hitting his wife with the spade in turn.

The woman was found on the pavement with blood gushing out of a head wound.

In handing down judgment, Mr Justice Galea Debono said the court had taken into consideration the evidence by Cucciardi's wife, his daughter and son-in-law as well as the accused's police record, which shows that he had been found guilty on various occasions of being aggressive against others, including his wife.

The court also considered Cucciardi's wife's promiscuity, her excesses and the manner in which her husband was unable to stand up to her.

The fact that Cucciardi's wife forgave her husband and even admitted in court that she had started the incident were also taken into account.