Woman drops assault charges against her husband

Two police officers witnessed a man beating his wife but there was nothing the court could do about it because the woman decided to drop charges against him.

The two officers testified that they had found the man beating up his wife at about 2 p.m. on June 4, 2006. He smelled of alcohol and began shouting at them.

In his statement to the police, the man said he did not remember attacking his wife or swearing at the police.

Magistrate Lawrence Quintano noted that the wife had withdrawn the charges against her husband four days after the alleged incident. Thus, no action could be taken against him. However, the fact that he had slightly injured the police officers was proven by the doctor's certificate produced in court.

The accused was found guilty of slightly injuring the policemen, breaching the public peace and swearing in public. He was given a six-month jail term suspended for four years.

The man's name is not being published to protect his wife's identity.

Police Superintendent Raymond D'Anastas and Police Inspector Marisa Camilleri prosecuted.