Judge gives violent father 'long time to reflect on his action'

A man who had been jailed for two months for slightly injuring his wife and daughter had his punishment changed to a conditional discharge for two years.

Mr Justice David Scicluna, sitting in the Court of Criminal Appeal ruled that, given the circumstances, it was more appropriate to give the man a long time to reflect on his actions and ensure this never happened again.

The man had originally been jailed for two months when the Magistrates' Court found him guilty of threatening his wife, assaulting her and their 12-year-old daughter and slightly injuring them in August last year.

On hearing the evidence, the judge cleared the father of threatening his wife as it had not been sufficiently proven. While deploring the man's actions, the judge ruled that a conditional discharge would be more beneficial.

Names are not being published to protect the identities of the wife and daughter.