Spurned Sicilian stalker admits to harassing nurse

A man fresh out of prison after serving a 30 month sentence for harassing his ex-lover has been remanded in custody this morning, after he was charged with resuming his pursuit of the woman upon leaving prison.

The relationship between 41-year-old Sicilian man Massimo Tivisini and the Maltese woman ended in 2008, but man had continued to pester the woman up till 2010, when he was jailed for four years.

This morning, Magistrate Charmaine Galea was told how Tivinisi's stalking resumed after his released from prison in August. Initially, he limited himself to sending love letters but when these were not answered, he started to follow the woman's movements.

Police Inspector Roderick Agius told the court that Tivinisi would turn up wherever the woman went and would spend hours loitering outside her home, on some occasions throwing pebbles at the windows.

The accused would also spend hours at Mater Dei Hospital following the woman, who works as a nurse, around.

Tivinisi was wheeled into the courtroom this morning in a wheelchair because of an unspecified medical complaint.

He was charged with a total of 15 counts of harassment, all of which took place since August 26th. . The latest incident took place on Monday at the woman's Qormi residence, where she lives with her parents. The man was also charged with making threats to the victim's father, causing the family to fear that violence was going to be used against them and with criminal damage to their property.

Tivinisi was additionally accused of breaching a protection order issued by the courts.

Defence lawyer Noel Cutajar entered a plea of guilty but said his client needed an effective treatment for his psychiatric problems as it was evident that the previous treatments he was given were ineffective.

Inspector Agius strongly objected to the defence's bail request, saying that the woman "was imprisoned in her own home".

The court denied bail and will deliver its judgment on Tuesday.