A man who stood accused of having assaulted his pregnant girlfriend, causing her to suffer a miscarriage has been acquitted after a court deemed the woman’s testimony was not credible.

The woman presented no evidence to prove that she was pregnant at any stage and had also failed to show proof that she had been assaulted, the court ruled. She also had a history of mental health issues characterized by delusions, the court found.

The case dates back to 2017 when the woman filed a police report claiming that her former boyfriend had threatened and grievously injured her, causing her to miscarry.

She claimed that her boyfriend was very controlling and abusive, occasionally beating her and putting cigarettes on her. He once broke her nose and told a company doctor who examined her that she had been injured in a traffic accident, she said. Things got so bad that she ended up at Mount Carmel Hospital as a result, she testified.

Her boyfriend denied those claims and said he ended the relationship when she confessed that she had cheated on him. He said they often argued over her friends, who he said were regular drug users. His girlfriend struggled with her mental health and used to tell him she had visions of a little girl breaking things and trying to self-harm, he said. He had offered to pay for her to see a psychiatrist.

He confirmed that she told him that she was probably pregnant but said that when he bought her a pregnancy test, she never showed him the result. As their relationship deteriorated, he threatened to report her to the police unless she paid back €300 he had lent her.

The accused’s mother also testified. She told the court that her son’s girlfriend had told her about having visions of a young girl and often behaved erratically, skipping work. She gave her food and initially pitied her but eventually realised she did not seem very grateful for the help, the woman testified.

A doctor at the company where the woman worked told the court that the woman often called in sick and that her employer suspected she was skipping work. He recalled the woman showing him a medical diagnosis for depression.

The court noted that a medical examiner had concluded that the woman had no physical markings suggesting violence and showed signs of suffering from psychosis. The woman had acknowledged her mental health issues and said that some of the couple’s arguments were “my fault”.

Given that the accusations hinged on the woman’s testimony and that prosecutors had failed to present any other evidence to justify their criminal charges, the court presided by magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit ruled that the accusations had not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

It therefore acquitted the man and issued an order banning the media from naming any of the parties involved.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri were counsel to the defence.