71-year-old jailed for subjecting wife, 68, to ‘macabre’ sexual abuse

A 71-year-old man has been jailed for a year after admitting to the attempted violent indecent assault of his wife, in an act thought to have been inspired by pornography.

Before the sitting started, inspector Hubert Cini, who is prosecuting together with inspector John Spiteri, warned magistrate Joe Mifsud that the nature of the case “was slightly macabre.”

The accused, who is not being named by order of the court, was charged with attempting to sexually assault his 68-year-old wife with a number of foreign objects. He had been arrested after the still-unclothed woman ran out of the couple’s home and into the street, screaming for help.

He was charged with attempted aggravated violent indecent assault, causing his wife to fear violence against her or her property and with verbally reviling and threatening her. 

During the sitting it emerged that the elderly couple would watch pornography together and that this may not have been the first time that such an assault had taken place.

The man discussed his plea with defence lawyer Francina Abela, as the clearly outraged magistrate could be heard saying that he could not permit such degrading and humiliating crimes to go unpunished, as it would spill over into wider society.

“If I permit these things to take place, it is I who will deserve to be sent to prison,” the magistrate commented. Domestic violence had no age bracket, the magistrate said, observing that many “cases of beaten wives and husbands” were emerging of late.

Despite being given several chances to reconsider his plea and consult with his lawyer, the man insisted on pleading guilty. “I admit your honour. I can’t do otherwise,” the man dolefully said.

Asking for clemency, the defence submitted that the man had “made a mistake once” during the course of the 42-year marriage, also saying that the problem “had been long coming”, but did not elaborate.

“I always treated my wife as a woman,” the accused interjected. “All my money is hers.”

“It isn’t enough to just give her money!” the magistrate thundered. “The days of her keeping the kitchen and you using her for your pleasure belong in the past!”

The court jailed the man for one year and imposed a three-year treatment order as well as a three-year protection order in favour of the woman, remarking that he should realise that his wife “isn’t an object and what he sees in films shouldn’t translate into reality.”

After his sentence was handed down, the man asked the court “when does it start?" referring to his prison sentence. When informed that he was going straight to jail, he asked "can’t I go have a shower first?” The magistrate replied that he could have a shower in prison.

The Court ordered the director of prisons to ensure that the man received the medical treatment he required.