Man, stabbed in the genitals by partner in 2013, cleared of assaulting her

A man from Marsa who was stabbed in the genitals by his partner in 2013, has been cleared of a raft of charges related to the same incident.

Alfred Farrugia had been stabbed by his partner, Carmen Meilak, in May 2013. Meilak had told officers that she had been walking home alone after drinking with the accused during the Marsa feast, when a passing car stopped and asked her if she was a prostitute. Meilak informed the driver that this was not the case and he drove away. However at that moment, Farrugia had appeared out of nowhere and slapped her. The woman had pulled out a penknife and stabbed him in his arm and shoulder before running away, only for Farrugia to chase her down and repeatedly hit her on the back of the head with a piece of wood.

Farrugia, however had told the police that after the drinking session, he had seen the woman getting out of a grey car. After arguing with her, he had started walking towards his house, gesturing to her to go away.

At that moment, she started punching him in the face and so he had slapped her. She had then produced a knife and stabbed him in his private parts, he said. When he fell to the floor, Meilak had told him that she wanted to kill him. He tried to get up and go home, but the woman attacked him with the knife once more, this time the blow being deflected onto Farrugia's shoulder.

Seeing her getting ready to try and stab him again, he had picked up a piece of wood that had been lying in the road and dealt her a blow to the head with it. Farrugia had then tried to chase the woman, but had collapsed due to blood loss and fell unconscious.

CCTV footage of the incident had been disregarded by the court, after the prosecution failed to summon the person who downloaded them from the computer surveillance system.

Magistrate Josette Demicoli noted that Meilak, who is accused of Farrugia's attempted murder in separate proceedings, chose not to testify in these proceedings, as often is the case where evidence could incriminate the witness.

The court noted that there was no evidence pointing to the specific criminal intent required at law on the part of Farrugia to grievously injure Meilak.

In fact, because the woman chose not to testify in these proceedings, it was not possible for the court to find him guilty of slight bodily harm. In any case, from the statement issued by the accused, he was invoking legitimate self-defence, the magistrate observed. Farrugia was found not guilty of all charges.