A father who bit his son after the teenager had hurled a packet of peanuts at him must spend 150 hours doing community work, a court ruled on Friday.

“How is one to exercise discipline?” the distraught father pleaded with the magistrate during his arraignment on Friday afternoon, after admitting to having slightly injured his son.

The episode began when the 14-year old boy threw the open packet of peanuts at his father, prompting the latter to threaten to cut off the youngster’s Wi-Fi connection.

Just as the man was about to carry out his threat, his son attempted to physically stop him. In the ensuing struggle, the father allegedly bit his son.

“There are ways and ways of exercising discipline,” duty magistrate Monica Vella told the father, who had argued that he had only intended to discipline his son.

Upon the man’s own admission, the court declared him guilty and condemned him to 150 hours of community work under supervision so that the court might be kept updated on the man’s progress.

The court also issued a three-month Protection Order, explaining to the father that he could approach his son but do so “in a civil manner.”

The court ordered a ban on the publication of the names of both parties so as to safeguard the interests of the minor.

Inspector Trevor Micallef prosecuted.
Lawyer Benjamin Valenzia was legal aid counsel.