Fear reigns in household due to threats, Godfrey Farrugia says

Farrugia maintains media and Facebook are being used as a propaganda tool to incite people

Democratic Party MP Godfrey Farrugia, testifying in court today in a case revolving around a threatening comment posted on Facebook by a certain Mario Baldacchino, emphasised that it was important for the court to send a clear message about such threats.

The Facebook comment had said that Farrugia’s partner Marlene Farrugia had been “digging her own grave”.

Lawyer Joe Giglio, appearing for Farrugia, argued that the court could not let what happened slide.

He remarked that, where normally the Farrugias would have brushed the threat off, the climate was now different, and a message had to be sent.

He explained that the Farrugias were not after their pound of flesh, but they wanted Baldacchino to recognise the seriousness of what he is done.

John Bonello, lawyer for the accused, said that “grave” was just a metaphor,  and that he was apologising for any fear caused. Moreover, he said, the comment had to be taken in the context of the hundreds of online comments which are written.

Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, presiding, however said that the accused must understand that such comments could influence people with bad intentions, and asked how the accused would be able to live with himself had someone done something to the Farrugias , having been influence by the Facebook comment.

She urged Baldacchino to be an example to others, as the noted that banal comments online where on the increase.

Bonello remarked that everybody had their own way of expressing themselves, and said that the accused and Marlene Farrugia had engaged with each other online in the past.

Taking the witness stand, Godfrey Farrugia said that the incident had taken place on his birthday.

He said that he had heard from his partner that the situation was worse than he thought, as she had been receiving death threats on the phone, SMS and Facebook.

Her mobile was now in the hands of an assistant who deals with her calls, he explained.

Farrugia said that a newspaper had picked up his Facebook comment, where he called out the person who wrote the threat,.

The newspaper had then posed a question to the Prime Minister about the issue, who responded that such issues had to be dealt with in court.

This led Farrugia to get more threats, and there had also been an urgent arraignment of an unnamed person who issued a threat.

“Marlene and I want to sow good and forgiveness, but fear reigns in the Farrugia household,” he maintained, as he said that the couple were willing to forgive Baldacchino.

“Whenever a car stops near by door at night, I worry, because we had stood for what is right,” he said, adding that the couple hoped this particular case would be an example which would lead to change.

The media was being used as a propaganda tool to incite people, he maintained, and Facebook was part of this.

“As a doctor I prevent disease,” he said, “and this is a preventive measure”, as he explained that as a doctor, he constantly heard people telling him that they were tired of living, but he could not afford to ignore them all the time.

“The dignity of a public person should be protected,” he emphasised.

The case continues in January.