Alleged drug kingpin Jordan Azzopardi was back in court on Monday afternoon after his girlfriend reported a weekend of domestic violence.

The 33-year-old was arrested almost a year ago following a police car chase in Madliena and was given bail a couple of months later.

His girlfriend resorted to the Domestic Violence Unit on Sunday reporting that he had threatened to throw her off a balcony at his house and bombarded her with “scary” voice messages when she walked out.

Apparently, it all started from a row when she told him she would not “clean up dirty footprints,” said prosecuting inspector Audrey Micallef.

The argument escalated to such an extent that the accused allegedly threatened to throw her off a balcony at his Swieqi home, while also brandishing a knife. 

The victim, a mother of five children, walked out, spending the night in her car.

Between 1am and 11.45am she received some 16 voice messages from Azzopardi, loaded with “scary threats”.

“All it will take is €20 worth of acid to peel off your face, breast….” was one of the threats.

“It’s going to be a big one this time,” he allegedly said.

The threats also extended to the woman’s children, none of whom were fathered by the accused.

He also allegedly threatened to send intimate footage of the victim to her children “so that they would be too embarrassed to go to school”.

He even uploaded such footage on his Telegram chat without his girlfriend’s consent, explained the inspector.

The woman was injured in a separate incident between the couple in March, the inspector added.

On Sunday at 6.55pm, Azzopardi was arrested at his home, read his legal rights and escorted to police headquarters.

After consulting his lawyer, he was interrogated, choosing his right to remain silent.

On Monday, he was charged with insulting and threatening his girlfriend, causing her to fear violence, publishing intimate footage without her consent, causing grievous bodily harm as well as breaching prior bail conditions and relapsing.

He pleaded not guilty.

Given the nature of the charges, the rest of the hearing proceeded behind closed doors, after the victim’s lawyer informed the court that she was willing to testify immediately.

The court, presided by Magistrate Gabriella Vella, upheld a defence request for bail under a number of conditions including a deposit of €500, a personal guarantee of €5,000 and signing the bail book.

Inspector Audrey Micallef prosecuted.

Lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Charles Mercieca were defence counsel.

Lawyer Matthew Xuereb assisted the victim.