A father-of-two who stabbed his ex-wife’s lover had another nine children with his new partner in the 10 years he waited to hear judgment.
The excessive amount of time it took for Philip D’Amato, 47, from Żebbuġ, to receive justice was one of the factors that determined the court’s decision not to send him to jail over the incident in May 1997.
Judgment had been pending for a decade before recently appointed Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras inherited it from retired Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna and decided the case. During the compilation of evidence, the court heard how Mr D’Amato had gone to the house of an Egyptian man, Memdoh El Sadani, who was having an affair with his ex-wife.
At the time the couple were going through separation proceedings.
Mr D’Amato had found the house after showing a picture of his estranged wife to the owner of a grocery shop opposite where Mr El Sadani lived.
When the grocer confirmed the woman in the picture was frequently at the house, Mr D’Amato flew into a rage.
He smashed down the door of the house, entered and began stabbing Mr El Sadani with a penknife. A Moroccan woman was in the house at the time.
Mr D’Amato had alleged that after he entered the house Mr El Sadani tried to attack him with a knife, which he managed to grab and use in self defence.
He said he blacked out and all he could think of were his two children. Had he found his wife inside he did not know what he would have done.
One of his former wife’s daughters testified to the woman’s lack of interest in the lives of her family members.
She burst out crying, saying that her mother was not present for Holy Communion and that she was brought up by her father and his partner.
The daughter said she had a sister and nine half-brothers and sisters, children of her father’s partner.
Magistrate Galea Sciberras noted how the charges against Mr D’Amato had decreased in severity from attempted murder to attempted serious injury.
She found him not guilty of having the intention to seriously injure Mr El Sadani to the extremes as accused by the Attorney General.
She did, however, convict him of having caused injuries and being in illegal possession of a knife, for which she conditionally discharged him for three years.
Lawyer Joe Giglio appeared for Mr D’Amato.