A company director, pleading not guilty to domestic violence charges, was granted bail after formally binding himself to move out of his family home while undergoing anger management treatment.

The man, whose identity was not to be revealed under court order, was taken to court under arrest over an alleged episode of domestic violence, details of which were not revealed in open court.

The alleged victim of the violence, the man’s partner for the past 15 years and mother of his six-year-old child, was also present in court, accompanied by her mother and another female relative, who watched on as she approached the bench to inform presiding magistrate Grazio Mercieca that she did not wish proceedings against her partner to continue.

Yet, owing to the nature of the charges being prosecutable ex ufficio by the police, proceedings were not to be dropped.

The man’s lawyers declared that their client was binding himself to seek adequate treatment for his anger management problems and was further binding himself to move out of the family home, taking up residence in another locality.

The man was granted bail under strict condition of not approaching his partner in any manner, signing the bail book once a week and binding himself under a personal guarantee of €3,000.

Inspector Hubert Cini prosecuted. Lawyers Franco Galea and Lucio Sciriha were defence counsel.