Father appears in court over charges of grievously injuring son in domestic dispute

A father was taken to court yesterday morning after he threw a mug at his teenage son in a domestic dispute.

The father’s name cannot be published by order of the court since the son is a minor. He is charged with grievously injuring his son without the intent to put his life in danger as well as threatening him.

The incident took place on Thursday evening at a residence in Qormi. The father and his son got into a heated argument, with the accused chucking a mug at the boy’s head.

The boy attended court with fresh stitches to the top right side of his face. Lawyer Victor Bugeja pleaded guilty on behalf of his client. Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras, presiding over the case, granted the father bail pending the outcome of a probation officer’s report, requested a protection order in favour of the son, and set about a number of conditions. The probation order is valid for three years, and should the accused breach it he will face a €2,300 fine or prison time.

The case has been deferred to 11 December, until which a probation officer will be drawing up a report on the necessary steps taken to ensure that an incident like this does not repeat itself. Magistrate Sciberras told the accused that the final judgment will depend heavily on the officer’s report.

Because the accused is unemployed, and a deposit would only serve as a punishment for the mother of the child, Galea Sciberras issued no deposit but a personal guarantee of €7,000. This effectively means that should he breach bail conditions, the accused would have to pay the personal guarantee or face prison time. Inspector Roderick Agius prosecuted.