A man who injured his wife when she stepped in to break a row between him and her son was granted bail upon his arraignment on Monday. 

The 52-year-old handyman was escorted to court under arrest and charged with grievously injuring his wife, hitting her in the eye with his hand as she tried to protect her son while her husband pointed a metal shovel at his neck. 

The incident took place on November 9, sometime after 5pm, at the family home at Marsascala. 

An argument apparently broke out over some shoes left lying around in a corridor, but escalated to such an extent that the man allegedly grabbed the metal tool and aimed it at the son’s neck. 

That was when the woman intervened to protect her son, who was not her husband’s biological offspring and was hit in the face, not with the shovel, but with the man’s bare hands. 

Three days later, the alleged victims filed a report.

On Monday, the alleged aggressor was charged with grievously injuring his wife, attacking her son as well as insulting and threatening him. 

He pleaded not guilty. 

A request for bail was objected to mainly because of the fear of tampering with evidence. 

Defence lawyer Herman Mula rebutted that the accused had an alternative address at his mother’s home.

Moreover, although the charges referred to grievous injuries since they had been caused to the face, it was likely that they would ultimately turn out to be slight.

Although the accused and his wife’s son did not see eye to eye, this had been a solitary incident.

After hearing submissions by both parties, the court, presided over by magistrate Josette Demicoli, upheld the request, granting bail against a deposit of €1,000, a personal guarantee of €8,000, daily signing of the bail book and under a curfew between 10pm and 5.30am.

The court also issued a Protection Order in favour of both alleged victims, valid until final judgment and issued a ban on all parties’ names.

Finally, the court warned the accused not to approach or communicate with his wife and her son in any way. 

Inspector Sherona Buhagiar prosecuted. Lawyer Herman Mula was defence counsel.