Man charged with trying to kill son-in-law

A man was yesterday charged with the attempted murder of his son-in-law when he allegedly stabbed him in the abdomen with a kitchen knife during a fight. Raymond Mallia, 53, of Attard, was granted bail against a deposit of €1,500 (Lm643.77) and a personal guarantee of €4,500 (Lm1, 931.33) after he pleaded not guilty to stabbing Wesam Ghazzeddin on Thursday at about 6 p.m. in Attard.

He also pleaded not guilty to carrying a knife without a licence and breaching the public peace. He was ordered not to leave his residence.

Mr Mallia's defence lawyer, Joseph Giglio, told the court that on the night before the incident, Mr Mallia had been at a wedding reception with his family. There, his daughter had a fight with her husband, the victim, because of his drinking habits. The woman confided in her father that her husband was ill-treating her.

Mr Mallia went to his daughter's house the following day to try and sort out any marital problems the couple were having, Dr Giglio said. Allegedly, Mr Ghazzeddin attacked Mr Mallia by punching him and pinning him against a wall.

It was only after he had been beaten that Mr Mallia produced a knife and stabbed Mr Ghazzeddin twice.

The court, presided over by Magistrate Audrey Demicoli, noted that Mr Mallia had a clean criminal record and was only trying to help his daughter out of the difficult situation.

Police Inspector Sandra Zammit prosecuted.

Dr Giglio and lawyer Stephen Tonna Lowell were defence counsel.