€4,000 fine and suspended sentence for granny who assaulted Birgu school head

A woman who assaulted her grandson’s headmistress has been handed a suspended sentence and fine.

Magistrate Monica Vella heard Inspector Christabelle Chetcuti charge the 47-year-old, who cannot be identified by order of the court, with attacking the headmistress of the Birgu primary school.

She was charged with threatening, attacking and slightly injuring the Headmistress – a public officer and breaching the peace.

Lawyer Jason Grima defence counsel, entered a guilty plea and formally registered an apology for her behaviour.

The woman asked to apologise to the victim. “I want to apologise to her. I am very sorry. I understand what I have done,” she said. “I admit because I know I made a mistake.”

Lawyer Maroushka Debono, present for the Education Department, accepted the apology.

The court handed the accused a sentence of six-months imprisonment suspended for two years. A two-year protection order was imposed in favour of the headmistress. The woman was also prohibited from entering the school for two years. She was also ordered to pay a €4,000 fine.

“It’s important that this behaviour doesn’t repeat itself,” warned the court. “There is a mitigation because it is your first time, if you do it again there will be no such measure.”