Man remanded in custody after choking former partner and threatening to kill her

A 28-year-old man from Sweden, Oscar Olsen, has denied attempted murder charges after allegedly trying to strangle his ex-partner.

The man was also accused of threatening to kill the woman and holding her against her will.

During the man’s arraignment on Tuesday, police inspector Sherona Buhagiar told the court that the victim had asked for police assistance through Facebook after an incident where the man had tried to choke her.

The two had argued at a friend’s house, after the defendant snatched away the woman's mobile phone and discovered messages she had exchanged with other men.

Later that night, when the woman had gone to bed at their home, Olsen had tried to choke her, while threatening to kill her. The woman told the police that this was the tenth time that the man had done this to her. The inspector added that the police had observed marks around the woman’s neck, resulting from the attack.

Bail was requested by defence lawyers Franco Debono and Adreana Zammit. The prosecution objected to the man’s release from arrest, arguing that the alleged victim was yet to testify and that the man had assaulted her several times in the past.

The defence depicted the incident as a case of self-defence, claiming that the woman had assaulted the defendant first, and that therefore he had defended himself. Olsen had a stable job in gaming, had resided in Malta for the past six years and had a fixed address.

Magistrate Charmaine Galea denied bail. A protection order was issued for the woman.

The prosecution was led by lawyers Etienne Savona and Manuel Grech for the Office of the Attorney General together with inspector Sherona Buhagiar. Lawyers Franco Debono and Adreana Zammit assisted the defendant.