Guilty of assaulting girlfriend

A man has been given an 18-month jail term suspended for three years for punching his ex-girlfriend in the face and seriously injuring her.

Noel Falzon, 34 of Birzebbuga, was found guilty of threatening, assaulting and seriously injuring Claire Polidano and breaking her mobile phone on March 18, 2001.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera heard Ms Polidano explain that Mr Falzon had gone to her apartment, where she was living alone at the time, and started banging on the door. It was 4 a.m. and he seemed to be out of his mind. The door bell was off and so was her mobile phone.

When Ms Polidano heard the noise she woke up to see what was going on and, as soon as she opened the door of her apartment, Mr Falzon punched her in the ear and jaw.

She started bleeding from the ear and was startled as she had just woken up. He continued hitting her. She tried to grab her mobile to phone the police but he took the mobile and smashed it onto the ground.

The magistrate heard him say that he had gone to her apartment on her request. He admitted to getting angry when he saw that she was speaking to someone on her mobile and hit her when he smashed it on the ground.

On evaluating the evidence Magistrate Scerri Herrera found Mr Falzon guilty. She gave him a suspended jail term and ordered him to pay Ms Polidano Lm200 in compensation.

She also bound him not to approach Ms Polidano for six months against a Lm50 fine in default.

Police Inspector Maria Stella Attard prosecuted.