Man acquitted of domestic violence after victims refuse to testify

A man has been acquitted of assaulting and threatening two women after they refused to testify against him.

Saad El Hazzewi Muammar, 34, from Palestine was accused of threatening and grievously injuring his former partner and damaging her property on 20 October 2018 in Zabbar. He was also accused of assaulting a second woman.

Police Inspector Oriana Spiteri testified that it had been reported to her that the incident had occurred at the home of one of the victims. The accused had allegedly headbutted the woman during an argument over visitation rights.

A social worker told the court how one day, the victim had decided to go out with her family, returning late at night. Later that night, the accused had knocked on the woman’s door demanding to see his son. As soon as she let him in, he had smashed a vase and the two had then argued about money. At a point, the man had headbutted the victim and torn her clothes.

The scene was witnessed by two of the victim’s family members who called an ambulance after the accused had left. Whilst in the ambulance, the accused had called the woman on her phone. The victim’s sister had answered but the accused, not realising this, had threatened to kill her and her son.

A risk assessment was drawn up, in which it emerged that the man had been violent towards both the woman and her son in the past, causing social workers to become very concerned about her safety.

A doctor testified that the woman had suffered a black eye and a fractured eye socket in the assault.

Magistrate Gabriella Vella observed that neither of the women had chosen to testify against the accused, dismissing the rest of the evidence as inadmissible hearsay. 

Due to the consequential complete lack of evidence against Saad El Hazzewi Muammar, he was acquitted.

Lawyers Mario Mifsud and Marita Pace Dimech were defence counsel.