Man remanded in custody after threatening to behead his former girlfriend

Accused allegedly threw a metal ashtray at the woman and pelted her with kitchen supplies, before he grabbed her by the hair and neck, and told her that he would cut off her head

File photo
File photo

A 49-year-old man from Tarxien was remanded in custody on Monday after allegedly threatening to behead his ex-girlfriend during a heated argument.

The man was arraigned before magistrate Noel Bartolo on Monday.

The victim had told police officers at the Domestic Violence Unit that she had argued with the defendant after returning from a night out in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Inspector Audrey Micallef told the court that the man became enraged when the woman had “mentioned the name of a third party.”

After throwing a metal ashtray at the woman and pelting her with kitchen supplies, he allegedly grabbed her by the hair and neck and told her that he would cut off her head, explained the inspector in court.

After entering a not guilty plea, the defence requested that the man be released on bail.

The prosecution objected to the defendant’s release from arrest due to the fact that he was still residing with the alleged victim, despite her having ended their relationship and even thrown him out of the house some days prior to the incident.

The defendant’s daughter testified to act as a third-party guarantor for her father, should the court grant him bail, but the prosecution insisted that the man was untrustworthy, pointing to the fact that his son had falsely told the arresting police officers that his father was not at home.

The defendant was, in fact, found hiding in the bedroom, said the inspector, arguing that the risk of tampering with evidence was clear.

The court, after hearing the arguments on bail, rejected the request for the man’s release and ordered that he be remanded in custody, both because of the nature of the charges, as well as due to the risks to the evidence.

Lawyer Nicholas Mifsud assisted the defendant.