A man landed behind bars on Monday after a court was told that he allegedly bombarded his ex with phone calls before assaulting her at her workplace, claiming that she was denying him access to their two-year old child.

The prosecution said that the 57-year old father from Birzebbugia had a serious drug problem that appeared to be the root of his behaviour.

Inspector Omar Zammit said that the man’s former partner turned up at the Domestic Violence Unit on Sunday to report that the accused had gone to her workplace, shouting and hitting her as she sat behind a counter.

The argument allegedly concerned the estranged couple’s two-year old son.

Prior to that episode, the accused had bombarded his ex with phone calls.

Following that report, police tried to contact the man but all attempts proved futile. Police eventually managed to arrest him at his home.

He was charged with causing his alleged victim to fear violence, harassment, insulting and threatening her.

He was further charged with breaching various court orders including a restraining order issued in 2021, a protection order and bail conditions, besides committing the alleged offences while under a suspended sentence.

He pleaded not guilty.

Questioned by the defence, the prosecutor confirmed that on Tuesday morning the alleged victim had testified in separate proceedings and that the couple had been in touch “on and off” until last week because of issues concerning their child.

The man’s lawyer, Ishmael Psaila, pointed out that in separate proceedings the alleged victim had testified that she had recently slept with the accused too.

But the prosecutor rebutted that he could not confirm that.

A request for bail was objected to not only because of the accused’s untrustworthy character but also because the alleged victim was still to testify and the accused was also facing separate proceedings over similar charges.

The defence countered that domestic violence legislation was a “double standards law” because it punished the accused but not his ex who went to him whenever she deemed fit then at other times, reported him to the Domestic Violence police.

Magistrate Leonard Caruana turned down the request for bail in view of the accused’s unruly character and also because the alleged victim was still to testify.

The court also upheld the prosecution’s request for a protection order and a treatment order that was to remain in force for two years so as to help the accused tackle his drug addiction.