Man accused of breaching protection order after being seen near daughter's business

A man on Friday appeared in court charged with breaching bail conditions linked to a protection order after he was allegedly spotted in the vicinity of a garage owned by his daughter and son-in-law in Żabbar.

Before Magistrate Leonard Caruana, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Inspector Christian Cauchi told the court that the accused has a troubled history with his daughter and had previously been convicted in connection with domestic violence offences.

The court heard that around a year ago, the man faced separate proceedings involving his daughter and was granted bail under conditions that included a protection order preventing him from approaching her.

According to the prosecution, the incident leading to the latest charge occurred on 10 June at around 7:30pm, when the accused was allegedly seen crossing a road where the couple's garage is located.

The following day, the woman's husband filed a report with police claiming he had seen the accused in the area despite the protection order. Investigators also referred to an earlier report of a similar nature and said the accused had previously been warned by police but failed to comply with their instructions.

Defence lawyers Anita Giordimaina and Martina Buhagiar contested the allegation, arguing that the domestic violence case cited by the prosecution had taken place in Marsascala and that the accused was authorised to live in Żabbar.

The defence maintained that the bail decree did not prohibit him from entering the locality and argued that the protection order referred specifically to his daughter rather than her husband.

Lawyers further pointed out that none of the reports alleged that the accused had spoken to, threatened, or approached his daughter, insisting that he had merely been walking along a road in the same village where he resides.

After hearing submissions, the court granted the man bail under revised conditions.

He was ordered to stay away from specific roads in Żabbar and was released against a €3,000 deposit and a personal guarantee of €5,000.