A 38-year-old man from Birzebbuga has been jailed for four months after being convicted of having slightly injured his nine-year-old son and his wife and having caused them and his mother to fear that violence would be used against them.

He was, however, acquitted of having caused wilful damage to other people's property, assaulted his daughter and threatened his relatives.

The court considered that the wife had sought to stop proceedings against her husband, while the accused's mother had said she had forgiven him for what had happened.

Nonetheless, proceedings could not be stopped since minors were involved.

The court said it believed the evidence of the child, which showed that he had been beaten by his father in a car and that he had seen his mother and his grandmother being assaulted at home.

The court praised the police for having having acted correctly and promptly by arresting the accused in order to protect everyone.

The court also issued a one-year protection order for the boy, laying down that the accused could only see his son in the presence of his mother or a social worker and that he could not threaten his son or his wife.