Father loses bid to keep son in Malta

A man yesterday lost a custody battle with the British mother of his five-year-old son, accusing her of abusing the boy.

Mr Justice Geoffrey Valenzia decreed that since the boy’s father only had access to the child over the weekend and in the UK he should contest the custody arrangements in that country.

The decree followed the issue of a temporary warrant of prohibitory injunction barring the child from leaving Malta, where he is on holiday. After reviewing the case details, the judge lifted the warrant and told the man to fight the case out in England.

Lawyers Josè Herrera and Veronique Dalli subsequently filed an urgent application asking for a different judge to hear the case to prevent the child from leaving.

The man said in the application he had evidence to prove that his son was beaten by the mother, adding that, once back in England, he feared he would not be allowed to see his son and that the child would be abused.

Mr Justice Valenzia turned down the request for the case to be heard by another judge, insisting that a decision on the matter had been made.

Mr Zammit burst into tears when explaining he had not seen his son for two years and that his son clearly wanted to stay with him.

“Where am I going to get the €25,000 needed to open a court case in the UK?” he asked.

The last time he went to England to see his son, the boy’s mother left and disappeared, he said.

In the application, the man said his former partner had even sent him an SMS threatening him he would never see his son again.