An unemployed former taxi driver allegedly came across his former partner abusing drugs in the presence of their child, and became violent, the court heard on Monday.

The 31-year old man from Mellieħa, whose identity is not being revealed to safeguard the interests of the minor, pleaded not guilty to unintentionally inflicting slight injuries upon the his estranged partner and mother of his nine-year old child woman, while breaching the public peace and good order by shouting and kicking up a commotion.

He was further charged with breaching an earlier decree whereby he had been granted bail after a similar violent episode in respect of the same woman.

Prosecuting inspector Josef Gauci also charged the man with breaching the terms of a Protection Order whereby he had been barred by the court from approaching the alleged victim.

The prosecution strongly objected to a request for bail, pointing out that the man had a pending case with the same alleged victim and that this woman was still to testify.

Moreover, both the alleged aggressor and his victim resided at Mellieħa, the court was told.

Legal aid counsel Mark Mifsud Cutajar countered that the estranged couple had a child, and were “a family,” even though the two had drifted apart and lived in separate dwellings.

Moreover, the alleged aggressor had himself suffered a large bruise, verified by a doctor, as a result of the incident and insisted that he was not to blame for the violence. The presumption of innocence came first, the lawyer argued.

After hearing submissions by both parties, the court presided over by magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit turned down the request for bail solely upon the ground that the alleged victim was still to testify, urging the prosecution to summon the woman at the first hearing.