A man who allegedly injured his partner after discovering phone chats with other men was granted bail on Thursday after having been remanded in custody last month.
The couple had been on a weekend break in Gozo when the incident happened.
The 37-year old man from Balzan, whose name is being withheld to safeguard his alleged victim, had browsed through the woman’s mobile chats while she was having a shower. He came across some messages which she had exchanged with other men.
The woman’s attempts to explain proved futile and the accused turned aggressive.
He stormed out of the room but the situation worsened when he returned, finding his girlfriend packing her bags, the court was told.
The woman was later certified as having allegedly suffered injuries that included a damaged eardrum.
After the violent episode, she travelled back to Malta and took a cab, heading straight to the police station to file a report.
During his arraignment, the man had pleaded not guilty to grievously injuring his girlfriend, causing her to fear violence and threatening her.He was denied bail at arraignment stage.
The woman testified about how she had even insisted on changing her mobile number to allay her boyfriend’s suspicion that she was somehow cheating on him.
Under questioning by the man’s lawyers, Franco Debono and Francesca Zarb, the woman said that on the day of the incident they had been drinking all day and when the argument broke out she had begged the accused to come back when he told her that he wanted to break up.
After the alleged incident, she decided to file a police report hoping that the move would make her boyfriend dwell upon what he had done.
She went to the hospital's emergency department after experiencing hearing problems and her injuries were classified as grievous.
An emergency doctor testified that the trauma could have resulted through various causes.
A court-appointed doctor confirmed the presence of bruises.
The victim was ordered to exhibit the messages that allegedly sparked the incident as well as photos she had taken of her injuries.
After hearing submissions on bail, the court upheld the request against a third party guarantee for €10,000 and signing of the bail book twice a week.
The case continues.
Inspector Joanna Piscopo prosecuted.