Businessman denies breaking wife’s arm

A 56-year-old businessman was charged with seriously injuring his wife when he allegedly broke her arm at their home in Attard on Sunday evening.

“I am not guilty,” the man insisted, arguing it was his wife who had attacked him while he was in the bathroom, hurting her arm in the process.

Magistrate Gabriella Vella heard Police Inspector Kevin Farrugia, prosecuting, explain that this was not the first time the woman had reported instances of domestic violence. This, he said, was the most serious one because the woman was in hospital and needed an operation.

Defence counsel Tonio Azzopardi argued that the wife had filed a false claim of domestic violence as part of a strategy to get her husband kicked out of the house.

Requesting bail for his client, Dr Azzopardi said the incident happened when the wife walked in on her husband while he was in the bathroom at their home. She kicked him and, as he moved forward, she slipped and broke her arm.

He added that the wife was mentally instable and there was an ongoing case against her for falsifying over €20,000 worth of her husband’s cheques. She had even tried to poison her husband by putting detergents in his drinks, Dr Azzopardi said, calling on the court to remember that the accused was presumed to be innocent and, thus, he should not end up in prison after being denied bail.

The house where the couple lived belonged to the man, who bought it before the marriage, so he should be granted bail and allowed to stay at his house while the wife lived with her parents, the lawyer said.

However, the wife’s lawyers – Joseph Giglio and Stephen Thake – pointed out that this was a case against the husband and the court could not impose anything on the woman.

They added that, while they did not wish to delve into the merits of the case at this early stage, in the past their client had ended up in hospital suffering from concussion.

Magistrate Vella ruled that, in the circumstances, there was a fear that the husband could tamper with evidence, so she turned down his request for bail.

The name of the accused is not being published to protect the woman’s identity.