The daughter and son of a Siggiewi man standing trial for the attempted murder of his wife yesterday told jurors how their father threatened their mother after learning that she had filed for separation.

Anthony Falzon's daughter, Loraine, explained that some time in the beginning of 2002 her father went to the Valletta shop where she worked after receiving the separation papers from her mother and swore she would find her mother lying dead in a pool of blood.

Falzon's son, Jason, followed his sister to the witness stand and explained how he once heard his father tell his mother that if she did not stop the separation proceedings, she would not get to the end of the proceedings.

Loraine and Jason Falzon testified before Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono in the trial by jury of Anthony Falzon, 47, of Siggiewi who is pleading not guilty to the attempted murder of his wife Lourdes outside Shopwise Supermarket, in Qormi on April 5, 2002, at about 11.45 a.m.

Loraine Falzon gave a detailed account of the family atmosphere she was brought up in. She explained that her parents often argued and when she was a child she remembered seeing her mother worried but her mother never told her, or her brother, anything.

"But as I started growing up I started realising what was going on. I'd notice that she had bruises but when I'd ask her what had happened she'd tell me she had slipped or walked into a cupboard.

"On one occasion, for example, when I arrived home I saw a tea-stain on the wall. My mother never told me that my father hit her or hurled objects... this is what I gathered from what I saw and heard as I grew up. He never hit her in my presence," Loraine Falzon said.

She said that by August 2001 her mother could not take it any longer and decided to leave home. "She never told us who to live with but said it was our choice. Both my brother and myself chose to live with my mother."

Once they moved out, Loraine Falzon said, her father phoned her about 15 times a day on her mobile phone and went to her place of work every day. Then, she said, the threats started.

"On one occasion he phoned me and told me that if I was not home by a certain time he would burn all my clothes... and he did. Another time he drove my car into a quarry."

Some time in January 2002 her father went to the Valletta shop where she worked and told her he had received the separation papers.

"He drew the sign of the cross on the counter with his hand and told me that I was going to find my mother dead, in a pool of blood," Loraine Falzon said sobbing.

She went on to explain that on the day of the incident her mother was driving her to work in the morning when they saw her father. He tried to stop them but they drove on.

Later that morning her aunt called her at work and asked her why she was ignoring her father. She replied that she was hurt and did not feel she could speak to her father as yet.

Some time later her brother phoned her and informed her that her mother had been taken to hospital. "I never thought he was capable of doing what he did," she said.

Under cross examination, Loraine Falzon said that although she thought the family was important to her father he did not respect her mother enough.

She said that at times he did show affection towards her mother and herself. When asked if her mother ever yelled at her father during arguments she replied: "God forbid, no. She did not dare say a word... You have no idea."

Jason Falzon followed his sister to the witness stand and, like her, explained that as he grew up he started to realise the truth about his parents' relationship.

He explained that once when he arrived home he saw his father reach for a knife and his mother crying on the floor.

"When I told him to stop he assaulted me and dragged me across the corridor. That was when I realised how serious the situation was," he said.

Jason Falzon explained that after his mother, his sister and himself moved out the situation worsened. It started with threats, arguments and a constant tension until the day of the incident.

He said that his father insisted that he wanted his mother to go back to him. He was very jealous.

"Once in January 2002, when he found out she had filed for separation, he told her that she'd better stop the proceedings or she would not get to the end of them. When I asked him what he meant he said that if the proceedings continued we'd find out," Jason Falzon said.

Under cross examination he said that his father thought he had persuaded his mother to leave him and once the father went to his work place and assaulted him with a metal bar.

Asked if he hated his father, Jason Falzon replied: "I can't say I hate him. If I did I would have done what he did."

Defence counsel asked whether his mother ever did anything wrong. "When I asked my father that same question, he did not give me an answer," was the son's reply.

The trial continues.

Assistant Attorney General Anthony Barbara is prosecuting.

Dr Giannella Caruana Curran and Dr Emanuel Mallia are appearing for the accused.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.