A man who allegedly beat his wife with a broomstick and knocked her down the stairs in the early hours of Tuesday morning was arraigned in court to face domestic violence charges on Wednesday.

The woman contacted the police at 7.30am on Tuesday morning to report that her partner had just assaulted her. Her arm was broken in the assault, with a doctor certifying her injuries as grievous. The accused also suffered slight injuries in the incident.

Police summoned the man to the police depot and arrested him. The man, who cannot be named by court order, was charged in court on Wednesday morning.  

He faced charges of having caused his partner grievous bodily harm, breaching the peace and using electronic equipment to have made threats. The man pleaded not guilty and requested bail.

Magistrate Charmaine Galea acceded to that request, subject to a number of conditions.

The man must sign a bail book twice a week, pay a deposit of €2,000 and a personal guarantee of €10,000.

The magistrate also issued a protection order in favour of the victim.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Francesca Zarb represented the accused. Inspector Omar Zammit prosecuted.