A man who stands charged with seriously injuring his wife last month had placed a knife against her neck in the presence of two of their three children in June, a magistrate heard this morning. 

The man, whose name cannot be mentioned by court order, had threatened his wife during another family argument in June, Police Inspector Christabelle Chetcuti told Magistrate Doreen Clarke. She said the incident was not reported to the police, with the wife saying she had reported it because she was scared of her husband and also because she was worried she would lose custody of the children. 

The inspector was testifying in the compilation of evidence against the man, a 62-year-old company general manager from Attard who stands charged with seriously injuring his wife with a knife on August 26. 

Her fingers were slashed with the knife. He is also denying damaging her mobile phone during the argument, causing her to fear that violence will be used against her and threatening her.

Magistrate Clarke was informed by parte civile lawyer Abigail Critien that the wife and all of the three children had opted not to testify in the criminal proceedings. The children are 16, 14 and seven years old. But Inspector Chetcuti said the police will forge ahead with the case as domestic violence incidents do not require a criminal complaint from the injured party. 

She said investigations into the case began when the police were informed that a woman had received treatment at the Mosta health centre after being slashed with a knife. It resulted that it was the man who took his wife to the health centre. 

It emerged that an argument broke out while the couple was discussing the possibility of initiating separation proceedings. During the argument, the inspector said, the man grabbed his wife's iPhone and smashed it on the ground and then opened the kitchen drawer, got a knife and began threatening her with it. While he was waving it, he hit the wife in her hand, slashing two of her fingers. 

She said the wife had told her about an incident at the beginning of June during an argument that broke out shortly after the youngest daughter's Holy Communion Mass when he placed a knife against her neck in the presence of two of their three children. When this was brought to the man's attention, he sent them upstairs to their room. 

Under cross examination, the inspector said she was not aware that the family had gone to the United States and to Sicily on two holidays between June and August. She also confirmed that none of the three children had witnessed the latest knife incident as the 14-year-old was upstairs in her room at the time. 

At the end of the sitting, Magistrate Clarke granted the man bail against a €5,000 deposit and a €15,000 personal guarantee. He was also ordered to sign the bail book twice a week and issued a protection order for the wife and children. He was granted bail after the court was informed that he was moving out of the matrimonial home and going to live elsewhere.

The case continues.

Lawyers Shazoo Ghaznavi, Charlon Gouder and Joseph Gerada appeared for the man.