Egyptian man jailed for threatening to disfigure woman with acid

A court in Gozo has jailed an Egyptian man who had threatened to disfigure the mother of his children with acid if she allowed their children to attend primary school religion lessons.

40-year-old Marsalforn resident Walid Salah Abdel Motaleb Mohammed was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, the court saying it was imposing the maximum punishment possible by law for the charges he had been found guilty of.

Mohammed was accused of having attacked the woman at West End Bar in Xewkija on 6 December last year. He was also charged with damaging her reading glasses, being drunk in public, attacking the woman, and causing her to fear that violence would be used against her. He was also charged with breaching a protection order previously imposed on him.

The woman had testified that the accused had threatened to throw acid at her face if she allowed their children to attend religion lessons in school. It appears that the disagreement over religious instruction arose during a separate, civil, lawsuit about issues such as maintenance, access.

Magistrate Joe Mifsud, presiding the Court of Magistrates in Gozo, noted that the threat was a serious one and that similar actions abroad had led to women being permanently disfigured. 

The court quoted an address by Pope Francis, highlighting the importance of Christians and Muslims working together to achieve peace and justice, remarking that the accused's attitude was not striving to achieve this goal. Rather, the magistrate argued that such actions “cause unnecessary tensions in society and cast a shadow over the Muslim community”.

The victim's testimony, together with the accused's behaviour both towards the woman and in court, left magistrate Mifsud in no doubt.

“The court will protect society and the victim by condemning the accused to the maximum punishment permitted by law for the crimes he is being found guilty of,” he said.

Mifsud urged the authorities to “take all the necessary steps to avoid having people like the accused running free.” He argued that foreign nationals who pose a threat to the safety of the nation and that of its citizens ought to have their residency permit revoked before being sent home.

The accused, being Egyptian, faced no danger in returning to his country and did not require protection, opined the magistrate. “Rather it is society which needs protection from the accused.” 

The court sentenced Mohammed to 12 months of detention at Corradino Correctional Facility, also imposing a fine of €2,329 and issuing a 3 year protection order in favour of the woman, starting from the date of his release from prison. 

Mohammed's defence lawyer Jean Paul Grech has said he intends to file an appeal.