Man remanded in custody for harassing and threatening wife

A man was remanded in custody on Monday for allegedly harassing, threatening and causing his partner to fear violence.

Mar John Spiteri, 41, from Swieqi had faced prosecution for identical charges back in January, but had allegedly patched things up with his partner and was eventually allowed back into the family home.

However it seems as though Spiteri had not learnt form his mistakes. It appears that relationship between Spiteri and his partner deteriorated again with the woman going to the police to file a fresh report.

The court, presided over by magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras, heard prosecuting inspector Matthew Spagnol describe how the man had sent his partners several messages, and had called her multiple times while she was at the police station filing her report.

After pleading not guilty to the charges of harassment and of having threatened the alleged victim, causing her to fear violence, the man made a request for bail, with his lawyer Peter Fenech insisting that the prosecution’s case rested on “a very flimsy accusation”.

The request was objected to by the prosecution, which stressed that the man was not to be trusted. It pointed to his criminal record sheet and past brushes with law, including his insistence on turning up at his family home despite the court ordering that he stay away.

Fenech responded that Spiteri would this time abide by court orders, arguing that he had an interest in safeguarding his job, which he said would be placed at risk should he be denied bail.

After considering submissions from both sides, the magistrate refused Spiteri’s request for bail, observing that the man was unable to offer the necessary guarantees.

The magistrate also placed the man under a Protection Order, barring him from making any form of contact with the alleged victim pending the proceedings, directly or via any third party and even whilst still being held in custody.