Estranged husband accused of wife's attempted murder

A domestic argument between separating spouses could have ended with a murder yesterday, a court has been told this afternoon.

Magistrate Monica Vella presided over the arraignment of Elton Debono, of Qormi, accused of attempting to murder his wife with a penknife at her Zebbug home yesterday evening.

Prosecuting police inspector Roderick Agius explained how earlier that morning, the accused had allegedly sent the woman several threatening SMS messages, as she had been refusing to sign unidentified documents which the husband needed to pay a creditor.

Eventually they had agreed that he would go over to her house to talk things through, however once there, another heated argument erupted, during which Debono is accused of pulling out a penknife and stabbing his wife between her thumb and forefinger. The woman's 66-year-old father is then understood to have arrived, brandishing a metal pipe with which he struck the accused's car several times.

Debono, 40, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and attempted grievous bodily harm. He also denied charges of harassment, carrying a knife without a licence, breaching the peace and dangerous driving.

Defence lawyer Geoffrey Vella, requested bail. The prosecution objected, pointing out that Vella had been accused of attempted murder. “We don't do this lightly,” added the inspector. “The only graver offence is homicide.”

There was a lot of anger festering between the parties, submitted the prosecution, pointing to a commotion which arose in the corridors of the court house moments before the arraignment.

Lawyer Michael Sciriha, appearing parte civile for the woman, told the court that it appeared that the accused needed medical attention. Even if not granted bail, he should be treated, explained the lawyer, as the defence concurred.

Debono's lawyer alluded to “interference” by the woman's parents as a cause of the arguments. “Unfortunately my client has a bad temper. They have large debts and his wife is taunting him by not signing certain documents, causing him to be chased by debtors,” he explained, attributing the incident to “the situation and frustration of the accused.”

The prosecution concurred with the anger management issue and agreed with the suggestion that he be treated. The court was there to protect society, argued Inspector Agius. “I can't see how the court, faced with a person accused of these charges, having a loose temper and an aggravating situation, could grant bail.”

In view of the charges and the surrounding circumstances, Magistrate Vella felt that the accused was not sufficiently trustworthy or fully in control of his actions

Arraigned separately, the woman's father, Paul Buhagiar, also pleaded not guilty to charges of causing voluntary damage to the car, threatening Debono and breaching the peace. 

Magistrate Vella heard veteran lawyer Michael Sciriha describe Buhagiar as “a 66-year old family man who had never had a brush with the law in his life.”

“There is nothing to prevent him from being granted bail. The charges are mostly contraventions, aside from the voluntary damage.”

Inspector Agius however objected to bail. “From what I understand, the father intervened in an argument, ” said the inspector. “There is the risk that further incidents will occur...had it not been for the police, there would not have been anyone to charge.”

The police were very concerned by the animosity between the parties, added the inspector. The separation proceedings had fomented such anger on both sides that family members had been close to confrontation even inside the court building during the arraignment, he explained.

Sciriha, however criticised the “inexact” statements made by the prosecution, who he said were attributing other people's actions to the accused. “We have a person... a family man, who in 66 years had no trouble with the law, and we are trying to impute the acts of other people outside the courtroom to him.”

“A father seeing his daughter beaten every day for three whole years...do you expect him not to intervene when he sees his daughter being threatened with a knife?” the lawyer argued. His client had found himself in the dock due to the actions of the other husband, the defence argued, adding that there were “no obstacles to bail.”

The court, in view of the particular circumstances of the case, granted Buhagiar bail against a personal guarantee of €1,000, also ordering him to deposit passport in court and keep away from the husband. The father thanked the court, affirming that he would obey every bail condition as they were read out to him.