A man accused of kidnapping his estranged wife, sexually abusing her and holding her in an underground cave remains behind bars in preventative custody, more than two months after he was first arraigned.
Roddy Williams, the 37-year old Seychelles-born man, allegedly held his estranged wife in a dark, secluded underground chamber beneath Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara.
The victim, Natalie Williams, is due to be examined by a psychiatrist on Tuesday, January 9. The appointment had been set in November, with attempts at setting an earlier appointment unsuccessful, a court was told on Monday.
A medical certificate issued by general practitioner Stephen Spiteri and attesting that the victim suffered from anxiety attacks and was therefore unable to testify was dismissed as invalid by magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit.
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A GP, the magistrate said, could not assess a patient's psychiatric state.
Moreover, everything had been set for the victim to testify during Monday's sitting via video conference, the magistrate added, visibly annoyed by the fact that the prosecution had not notified the court about the hitch.
Defence lawyer Franco Debono, appearing for Mr Williams, pointed out that his client had been behind bars since November 1 when he was arraigned.
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Mr Williams currently stands charged with having allegedly kidnapped his 46-year old estranged wife. leaving her in the dark secluded place in Kalkara, without any food and drink for several days, thereby placing her life in manifest jeopardy, violently engaging in sexual activity with the woman, holding her against her will, harassing her and causing her to fear violence.
Ms Williams will now testify during a sitting scheduled for next week, provided a psychiatrist pronounces her fit to do so.
Inspectors Josric Mifsud and Paula Ciantar prosecuted. Lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Yanika Vidal were defence counsel. Lawyers Ludvic Caruana and Janice Borg appeared parte civile.