Man accused of breaching court orders by threatening ex

A 23-year-old man from Marsa has been remanded in custody after allegedly threatening and slightly injuring his ex-girlfriend while on bail over similar charges.

Magistrate Aaron Bugeja heard Inspector Eman Hayman explain that yesterday afternoon the woman’s mother had filed a criminal complaint after receiving a terrified phone call from her daughter.

The accused, Tyson Bugeja, who was already under orders from various courts, prohibiting him from harassing his ex-girlfriend, was on the daughter’s verandah. Once the woman had returned to her mother’s house, she told the police that she had found the accused, angry and armed with a knife.

Inspector Hayman explained that the man was then arrested for breaching the protection order and bail conditions.

Lawyer Rene Darmanin, defence counsel together with lawyer Arthur Azzopardi, entered a not guilty plea. He asked for bail, saying the charges were mere allegations at this stage.

Inspector Hayman objected, saying that this problem had been a long time coming and that a temporary protection order had been made on the strength of a risk assessment.

On 30 January he ignored it completely and was arraigned for smashing the woman’s windscreen. During that arraignment, a protection order was issued, superseding the temporary one. “Now the victim has testified, and we find ourselves in the same situation. This is not an attack on the woman outside her property; now it is inside her property. He has been given several chances,” said the inspector.

The court observed that the prosecution was saying that Bugeja did not offer sufficient guarantees to avoid the commission of further offences, as this was not the first time that Bugeja was accused of similar offences against the same person.

The inspector said that the charges show that there were previous episodes involving the accused and the victim and that the situation between them has escalated to the degree that this incident allegedly took place at the victim’s place of residence. This despite the issuing of a protection order.

Bugeja “does not want to leave her alone,” he said.

Darmanin said that the charges were still just allegations at this stage. “We have evidence of who made contact with who and what photographs were sent. The accused had no problem with keeping out of the woman’s hometown.”

But the Inspector pointed out that the incident could easily repeat itself. The victim who was attacked at home is also yet to testify, he said.

Magistrate Bugeja did not mince his words. “If it emerges that she made a false report, she will have to serve a prison sentence,” said the magistrate, who however denied bail at this stage.

Lawyer Mario Mifsud, parte civile, together with the prosecution asked that the accused be held in juvenile detention. The Court stated that the decision was up to the director of prisons, but noted that parties were in agreement that it should make the necessary recommendation, which it then proceeded to make.