Jordan Azzopardi threatened to throw acid on girlfriend's face, chest and legs, court told

Alleged drug dealer Jordan Azzopardi has been charged in court, accused of threatening to throw acid at his girlfriend, brandishing a knife and publishing private videos of her over the weekend, apparently after an argument about cleaning.

Azzopardi was arraigned on charges of insulting and threatening his girlfriend, causing her to fear violence, publishing intimate footage of her without her consent, inflicting grievous bodily harm, breaching his bail conditions and recidivism.

He pleaded not guilty.

Azzopardi appeared before magistrate Marseanne Farrugia on Monday, a day after his girlfriend sought the assistance of the police’s Domestic Violence Unit. The woman had told the police that he had threatened to throw her out of a balcony at his house and had inundated her with intimidating voice messages because she had walked out on him.

Inspector Audrey Micallef, prosecuting, told the court that the incident appeared to have begun when the woman had refused to clean some dirty footprints in the house. At a point, she said, Azzopardi had waved a knife at the woman, before threatening to throw her off a balcony at their Swieqi residence.

After leaving the house, the woman, the mother of five young children from previous relationships, spent the night in her car.

During the night and the following morning Azzopardi had sent her 16 threatening voice messages, the court was told.

In one of the messages he threatened to throw acid over her face, chest and legs, said the inspector. In another, he said he would send intimate videos of the woman to her children.

Azzopardi had sent the footage on Telegram without his girlfriend’s consent, added the inspector.

The woman had also suffered injuries in a separate altercation with Azzopardi in March, she said.

Azzopardi was arrested at his home, at 6.55pm on Sunday, where his rights were read to him before he was taken to police headquarters for questioning.

After consulting with his lawyer, Azzopardi had opted to use his right to silence during his interrogation, said the inspector.

The victim’s lawyer informed the court that she was willing to take the stand immediately and the sitting continued behind closed doors.

Azzopardi was granted bail against a €500 deposit and a personal guarantee of €5,000. He was also ordered to observe a curfew and sign a bail book at regular intervals.

33-year-old Azzopardi’s name first hit the headlines in 2019 after police discovered what was described in court as a drugs factory at a farmhouse in Wardija.

He was arrested again in July last year, after reversing out of a police roadblock, and leading police on a high-speed car chase in Madliena, during which he was also observed throwing a packet of cocaine out of his car.

Azzopardi, who had claimed not to have realised the unmarked vehicles as being the police and feared that they were people out to get him, had been granted bail last September.

Inspector Audrey Micallef prosecuted.

Lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Charles Mercieca assisted Azzopardi.

Lawyer Matthew Xuereb appeared for the victim.