A magistrate yesterday sentenced a Qawra man to two weeks detention after she found him guilty of failing to pay his wife's maintenance as ordered by the Second Hall of the Civil Court.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera ordered the detention of Anthony Gauci, 54, after she heard his wife, Maryanne, explain that her husband had never given her a single cent since the Second Hall of the Civil Court ordered him to pay her Lm100 a week in October 1999.

The magistrate also heard Gauci explain that he did not give money to his wife because his business was going bankrupt. He explained that he had to pay his employees with borrowed money. He himself, he said, lived on borrowed money.

Gauci also said that he had offered to sell his car to give his wife some money but she did not want him to.

But the magistrate found it hard to believe that a person would work without getting paid. She noted that just as Gauci had borrowed money to pay his employees, he should have borrowed money to maintain his wife and respect the conditions laid down by the civil court.

If he was financially unable to respect the conditions he should have raised the problem before the Second Hall of the Civil Court for remedy. This, however, the magistrate noted, he had not done.

In handing down judgment, Magistrate Scerri Herrera noted that Gauci had previously been conditionally discharged for failing to maintain his wife. She ruled that, since Gauci did not have young children who would suffer from the court's decision, detention was the appropriate punishment.

Gauci was wrong in believing he could get away with ignoring a court ruling. Detention, the magistrate explained, would serve to warn Gauci to respect the ruling of the Second Hall of the Civil Court.

Police Inspector Joseph Mercieca prosecuted.

Dr Joe Pace appeared for Gauci while Dr Anglu Farrugia and Dr Edward Gatt appeared in parte civile for his wife.