Man accused of ‘terrorising’ former partner, stalking denied bail

An Egyptian man, who allegedly ‘terrorised’ his ex-partner by popping up without warning, everywhere she went, has been denied bail on stalking charges.

The 49 year-old Balzan resident, whose name cannot be published by a court order aimed at protecting his children, is facing charges of stalking, fabricating false evidence, using moral violence in an attempt at isolating the woman, causing her and her family to live in fear of violence, harassing them, threatening the woman, misuse of electronic communications equipment and trespassing.

He was also charged with breaching the peace and violating a protection order issued by the Family Court.

“We did not arrest this man capriciously,” said police inspector Elton Taliana, describing the case as one of the most serious cases of stalking he had ever encountered. There were a series of reports, he said.

“They were terrorised... Everywhere they went, they would find the accused, even when they booked a hotel.” The man would regularly send the woman threats, including death threats, on her phone, he said.

Eventually, the woman had to go to [Church-run shelter] Dar Merhba Bik and was harassed even there, explained Taliana. “There was no alternative to arresting him,” said the inspector.

The accused pleaded not guilty and requested bail.

The prosecution objected to bail owing to the serious nature of the charges, the fear of the accused absconding and the fact that he had breached a protection order.

But defence lawyer Victor Bugeja told the court that the man was trustworthy and that there were sinister reasons behind the report. “There is an interest that the accused be deported to clear the way,” for other men, he claimed. “He’s been in Malta for over 20 years and there is no fear of him absconding.”

The root of the problem, Bugeja argued, lay with the fact that the alleged victim had not allowed the accused to see his child for four months, he said. The couple had a long history of problems over access to the child, explained the lawyer.

The fact that the alleged victim had found the accused at the same hotel she had gone to was a mere coincidence, he said, adding that the man had a right to go wherever he wanted to go. He denied that his client had anything to do with any threatening messages.

But lawyer Lara Dimitriyevic, appearing as parte civile for the woman, said that it was not true that the defendant was being unjustly deprived of access to his child. It was the courts which had restricted his access, she said.

“My client is literally a prisoner at the shelter,” she said, describing the woman as unable to move away for fear of encountering the accused.

The court, presided by magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace, said it was denying bail at this stage due to the fear of tampering with evidence and due to the nature of the allegations.