A man, his estranged wife and their daughter ended up in court when simmering tensions and constant disputes between them ended up in a full-scale fight in the apartment block where all three allegedly lived.

Emanuel Galea, a 47-year old construction worker, stood at one end of the accused’s bench, while his ex-wife, Carmen Calleja, 51, and 25-year-old daughter Stephanie Galea stood at the other end, while a policewoman stood in the middle, to keep the two warring factions apart.

Although initially the man was to be arraigned separately, upon a suggestion by defence lawyers, the court agreed to hear both arraignments jointly “as long as you don’t fight,” remarked Magistrate Monica Vella.

While keeping facts to a minimum so as not to risk re-igniting tensions inside the courtroom, it emerged that the man lived with a new-found partner in a flat within the same block as his ex-wife, from whom he was separated.

Arguments allegedly broke out frequently, with the police being called in some five times within two days.

However, tensions escalated and apparently came to a head last Wednesday afternoon when a fight broke out at the San Ġwann premises, during which stones were reportedly hurled and a ladder was used to inflict injuries.

The row landed father, mother and daughter in the dock facing a variety of charges.

The father pleaded not guilty to slightly injuring his ex, harassing her and his daughter, while breaching the peace. The wife and daughter likewise pleaded not guilty to harassment, threats and breach of peace. The daughter was separately charged with having involuntarily caused slight injuries to her father’s current partner.

“The least said today, the better,” said David Gatt, defence counsel to Mr Galea, in an attempt to calm the potentially explosive situation, his suggestion seconded by Lennox Vella, assisting the mother and daughter.

Prosecuting Inspector Matthew Spagnol intervened, insisting that if the three were to be granted bail, they would preferably be made to sign the bail book on different dates “to avoid similar incidents in the future”.

While the magistrate was writing out the bail decrees, her attention was caught by murmurs from the accused’s bench, where issues about “a water tap” seemed to be once again re-surfacing.

“Don’t let me hear any squabbling among you,” warned the magistrate.
All three were granted bail against a deposit of €500 each, a personal guarantee of €4,000 each and an order to sign the bail book twice a week, on different days to limit the possibility of their encounters.

All three were further placed under a Protection Order and strongly warned to steer clear of each other, father from mother and daughter and vice versa.

“In such family disputes you must learn how to live together. If you breach one condition you’ll end up back here and then there will be no bail,” was the final warning.

Lawyer David Gatt was counsel to Mr Galea.
Lawyer Lennox Vella was counsel to mother and daughter.