Mother arrives minutes late to forgive son

The mother of a 20-year-old man who was jailed for attacking her arrived a few minutes too late to tell the court she had forgiven him.

Magistrate Antonio Vella had just jailed Massimo Grixti for a year when his mother arrived in the court building to be informed by her son's girlfriend that the sentence had been passed.

She could be heard crying in the corridor and a lawyer, who had nothing to do with the case, calmed her down and entered the courtroom to explain to the magistrate that she had forgiven her son.

The magistrate noted that it was too late because he had already pronounced judgment once the accused pleaded guilty.

A short while later the accused signed an appeal.

Mr Grixti was arrested after he assaulted his mother on Wednesday morning in a Valletta apartment belonging to friends and then attacked a police officer at the Valletta police station.

His legal aid lawyer, Renzo Porsella Flores informed the court on Mr Grixti's arraignment yesterday that his client would be pleading guilty to all the charges. He admitted to threatening, harassing and slightly injuring his mother, damaging her property, assaulting a police officer and relapsing.

The magistrate addressed Mr Grixti to make sure he realised that he would be jailed if he were to plead guilty. Mr Grixti said he did.

The magistrate even asked him a second time and Mr Grixti nodded sheepishly. The magistrate then asked him whether his mother was present in court and Mr Grixti said she was not.