Man charged with threatening wife into terminating her pregnancy

A man has been remanded in custody after making death threats to his wife to force her into terminating her pregnancy.

The accused, Yusef Hamki Said, is a 21-year-old man from Syria living in Marsaskala. He had threatened the victim that if she didn’t terminate the pregnancy, he’d kill her.

The victim was in the hall and asked to leave before the proceeding began.

The accused pleaded not guilty, and the defence requested bail.

The prosecution objected due to the lack of ties he has to the country and because he does not have a fixed Maltese address.

The prosecution also mentioned fears of tampering of evidence, since the victim and other witnesses need to testify.

The defence objected to this on the basis that the acts are those which are typical of domestic violence.

“The case is what it is, I had three such cases this morning and none of them were imprisoned,” lawyer Jason Grima said.

He said the accused was expecting a baby with the victim, which automatically ties the accused to Malta. “He does have an address, he is not homeless,” Grima said.

The defence concluded its statements by mentioning that the accused collaborated with the police, and had voluntarily presented himself at a police station to answer for his accusations.

The Court did not accept the defence’s request, and the accused was remanded in custody until the compilation of evidence starts.

Meanwhile, a protection order was ordered by the Court in favour of the victim.

This is an ongoing case.

Inspector Antonello Magri led the prosecution. The accused was represented by Jason Grima and Kirsty Muscat.