Women’s organisations have expressed concern about a suspended sentence handed down in the case of a man found guilty of trying to poison his wife.
The National Council of Women is worried about the outcome of the case, saying such judgments would not serve as a deterrent to violence, nor would they encourage women suffering from violence at the hands of their partners to come forward and seek help.
A 65-year-old pensioner, Carmel Farrugia, pleaded guilty to trying to poison his wife by pouring household chemicals, including a petrol additive, into her drinks over a number of months.
He was accused of intentionally giving his wife poisonous substances that were harmful or could be of harm.
His wife, Anna, detected something strange in her mug – like a white spirit – and went straight to the police station to file a report when she suddenly realised what her husband was up to.
Mr Farrugia’s clean police record was taken into consideration when the 18-month jail term, suspended for four years, was handed down, together with a three-year protection order in favour of the wife, along with an order for the man to leave the matrimonial home.
NCW president Grace Attard said the “change of accusation from attempted murder to intentionally giving his wife poisonous substances” led to a reduced sentence and did not consider the “repeated, premeditated acts of putting the wife’s life in serious danger”.
She questioned whether any evidence was produced that the acts, had they continued, could have led to the wife’s death and whether this was reflected in the judgment.
Ms Attard said due consideration was not given in the judgment to the fact that it was a case of repeated acts of violence. Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done and the crime must not seem to be minimised through the judgment, she continued.
NCW has repeatedly insisted on a programme of early detection of violence, in particular domestic violence, that would include trained medical and social professionals working together to seek a remedy as early as possible.
It also insisted on the need to revisit the definition of domestic violence to include a wider meaning of what constitutes it.
Referring to recent severe penalties for animal cruelty, Renee Laiviera, who chairs the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations, said: “The laws in this country appear to value animals’ rights over women’s rights and, if so, we still have very far to go to address social justice.” She said she could not help questioning society’s values.
Referring to the poisoning case, she said the public’s perception was that the sentence was too lenient. “But more than that, one questions the after-effects of the court case. Do we never learn? Have we not seen enough risky situations turn into femicides? Where is the voice of the victim? Has she been consulted at all? Has this man been ordered to attend specialised programmes to deal with his behaviour?
“The more one follows cases of domestic violence, the more one realises the urgent action needed to strengthen the laws, policies and structures to safeguard the victim,” Ms Laiviera said.
Quoting research by the Domestic Violence Commission, she said it was no wonder only half the women living in situations of abuse actually asked for help to the related authorities. Ms Laiviera also pointed out that one in four women in Malta experienced domestic violence in their lifetime.