Man who allegedly assaulted partner, stole from her bank account denied bail

A 23-year-old has been denied bail after pleading not guilty to charges of domestic violence against his partner, who was present in the courtroom.

The Syrian construction worker, who resides in Marsaskala, appeared before the court accused of causing grievous bodily harm to his partner during an argument on 9 September.

The woman told police that he had hit her several times, with her injuries later certified as grievous. She also alleged the abuse was not new, showing officers photographs of previous injuries, and claimed that the accused had stolen €200 from her Revolut account after she had given him her banking details.

When called to present himself at the police depot, the accused initially claimed he was in Gozo, promising to go later in the evening, but never turned up.

His defence lawyer, Noel Bianco, told the court that he had advised his client to go to the depot “for his own benefit.” Aktaso was later arrested.

The court also heard that two days before his arrest, the accused and the alleged victim had both gone to the office of his lawyer, who again advised him to cooperate with the police.

The prosecution opposed the bail request, stressing that the accused had already proven unreliable by failing to appear at the depot.

The defence argued that the accused had family ties in Malta and was not a flight risk. However, the court rejected the request and issued a protection order in favour of the victim.

AG lawyers Deborah Polidano and Krista Spiteri Lucas, assisted by Inspector Omar Zammit prosecuted.

The defence was led by lawyers Noel Bainco and Adriano Spiteri.