A woman was so scared of her former boyfriend that she hid in the wardrobe with her daughter after he turned up on Sunday, ostensibly to take back the keys to his flat.

She called the police, who found the Bulgarian man, Nikolov Tsvetkov, 37, of St Paul’s Bay, sipping beer on the parapet of her husband’s house, where she had gone to live after she left the accused.

The officers also found the woman hiding in the wardrobe. She told them she was very scared of the man after he had slightly injured her the day before.

Mr Tsvetkov told the police he had gone to the house simply to get his flat keys back after they broke up.

He admitted in court to slightly injuring the woman and threatening to use violence against her.

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras conditionally discharged him for three years and placed the woman under a protection order for 12 months.