Man charged with trying to run over wife, attacking children

A 42-year-old man from Zabbar was yesterday remanded in custody after being charged with driving a car in his wife's direction and attacking his two sons, aged nine and eight.

Lino Desira was yesterday arraigned in court by Inspector Anthony Cassar, who also charged him with violently resisting, threatening and attacking police officers last Friday.

Inspector Cassar told the court that he had investigated the incidents in which the accused allegedly tried to run over his wife with a car, bit one of his sons and trapped the other one's arm in the door of the car. Following the investigations, he tried to speak to the accused and his wife "so as not to break up the family", but the accused wanted to attack his wife and assaulted the police, who stopped him.

The court, presided over by Magistrate Giovanni Griscti, denied the request for bail by defence counsel Franco Debono, saying it was not convinced that the accused would not try to approach his children, who were witnesses in the case.