Father and son acquitted of holding woman against her will

Two men were yesterday acquitted of holding a woman against her will after a court declared the charges brought against them not to have been sufficiently proved.

Anthony Degabriele, 60, and his son Clint, 30, were charged over the June 2013 incident.

Magistrate Neville Camilleri heard how the woman, who has a daughter with Clint Degabriele, had taken the girl to the family home so that the grandparents could see her.

Once there, a violent argument erupted between the woman and her former partner’s parents.

At some point, the front door was locked and the key was removed from the keyhole.

The court heard how her former partner allegedly warned her that if she were to call her father, he would stab him with his penknife.

The woman ran upstairs, locking herself inside a room. She only came out once her mother came to pick her up.

The men were charged with holding her against her will and with having caused the victim to fear violence. Clint Degabriele alone was charged with having harassed her in the months preceding the incident.

The court found that there were several inconsistencies in the testimony of the witnesses summoned by the prosecution, including that of the woman and the co-accused.

It declared that, on the basis of the evidence brought before it, the charges had not been sufficiently proven. It therefore acquitted both men.