Man acquitted of raping his estranged wife
Jury votes unanimously to acquit the man
A 44-year-old man from Tarxien has been acquitted of raping his estranged wife after a jury returned a unanimous not guilty verdict on Friday afternoon.
After almost four hours of deliberation, the jury delivered the unanimous verdict, to the evident delight of the accused's parents who cried with happiness and called out "write it out that he's been acquitted".
He was also acquitted of harrasing his wife with six votes to three and being in simple possession of cocaine with eight votes to one.
The jury entered its third day on Friday, starting with the final address delivered by presiding judge Consuelo Scerri Herrera.
Lawyers Darlene Grima and Jennifer Polidano prosecuted on behalf of the Attorney General’s Office.
Legal aid lawyers Simon Micallef Stafrace and Julia Micallef Stafrace assisted the accused.