Court hears how father beat up his two boys

A nine-year-old boy and his eight-year-old brother went to the Zabbar police station, looking nervous, to report that they had just been beaten up by their father, an inspector said yesterday.

Inspector Anthony Cassar explained how he later learnt that the incident took place when the boys asked their father where he was going when they saw him get into his car.

The eight-year-old got into the car and his father trapped his left arm in the car door then started hitting him in the stomach. On seeing this, the elder brother slapped his father, who got out of the car, grabbed him by his neck and beat him up until the mother intervened to stop him.

The inspector was testifying before Magistrate Anthony Vella in the compilation of evidence against the father, 42, of Zabbar whose name can not be published by court order to protect the identity of the boys and their mother.

The father is pleading not guilty to assaulting and injuring his two sons, driving a car in his wife's direction and violently resisting, threatening and attacking police officers last month.

The police officer explained that after the boys filed the report, the police spoke to their mother who explained that problems with her husband had started about 15 months ago when he started spending time with a man who "abused certain substances" and was involved in crime.

The woman said her husband had threatened to kill her or her sons and that it was not the first time he hit her and the children.

She also explained how on August 14 she had asked her husband where he was going and he drove the car in her direction. Then on August 21 the children asked him the same question and he got angry and beat them up.

Consequently, the inspector said, the father was taken in for questioning and he released a statement in which he admitted to assaulting his wife and hitting one of his sons.

While the inspector was talking to the mother and the boys in his office, the father, who had been waiting downstairs, barged into the office, pushing a police officer against the wall, and headed towards his family but was stopped before he could get to them.

He later told police he had entered the office to talk to the inspector.

The case continues.