A man who is serving a life sentence for murdering his wife has had two additional jail terms confirmed.

Nizar I Mustafa Al-Gadi. was convicted and jailed for life on November 6, 2015 for the murder of lawyer Margaret Mifsud. She had been found dead in her car on a dirt track just off the coast road, Bahar ic-Caghaq on April 19, 2012.

After the jurors had returned a guilty verdict, by eight votes against one, and after the judge had delivered sentence, the victim’s family broke out in applause.

Murder victim Margaret Mifsud.

Then as the members of the public filed out of the courtroom, the victim’s mother turned towards  Al-Gadi and told him, “Your wish has come true. (to stay in Malta). Now stay.”

Al-Gadi reacted by turning towards the woman, extending one arm and making a trigger-pulling gesture with his fingers.

Throat-slitting gesture at police inspector

He then addressed lead prosecutor then-Inspector Keith Arnaud, menacingly remarking, “you’re next,” while making a throat-slitting gesture with his hand.

Those gestures earned him an additional 3-month jail term and a €5,000 fine for insulting and threatening the police officer and the victim’s mother as well as relapsing.

He was also bound not to molest the victims against a personal guarantee of €1,000 applicable for one year.

That punishment was confirmed on Thursday on appeal.

Mr Justice Giovanni Grixti, presiding over the Court of Criminal Appeal, observed that although Al-Gadi had indeed been provoked by the victim’s mother, his reaction had exceeded the limits of provocation.

His gesture aimed at Mifsud’s mother could only be translated as “a promise of future harm” by a person who had just been convicted of her daughter’s murder.

As for the charge concerning Arnaud, the accused’s gesture had been confirmed by witnesses and was “a direct and serious threat” against a public officer in the course of his duties.

“A throat-slitting gesture had no other significance than that and any attempt to persuade to the contrary would be futile,” remarked the judge.

And like the first court, the court of appeal was convinced that such gesture was intended to threaten the police officer.

Al-Gadi’s appeal was thus turned down and the punishment confirmed in full.

Three-year jail term for trying to strangle wife weeks before murdering her

The appeals court on Thursday also confirmed an additional three-year jail sentence to Al-Gadi over an incident weeks before the murder, when he had tried to strangle his wife. 

On March 24, 2012, when the couple were separated, the accused had tried to strangle his wife by wrapping a belt around her neck, repeatedly telling her, “Me or the children?”

An account of that domestic violence incident had been read out during the trial by jury on the strength of a written note found by police when searching the victim’s house during the murder investigations.

Al-Gadi was subsequently charged with holding the victim against her will, slightly injuring her, threatening her and the couple’s children, harassment, causing her fear of violence as well as committing the offences during the operative term of a suspended sentence.

He was sentenced to a three-year jail term which was also confirmed by Mr Justice Giovanni Grixti on appeal.