Woman who pushed partner over banister granted bail

A woman from St. Paul's Bay has been granted bail after pleading not guilty grievously injuring her partner by pushing him over a banister following a drunken argument.

This morning, before Magistrate Joseph Mifsud, police inspector Edel Mary Camilleri accused 31-year-old Donna Debono, from St. Paul’s Bay, of having caused grievous injury to her French boyfriend, Thierry Aliexis, at a Rabat villa .

Aliexis, 41, was critically injured after falling from a height of around one storey during the early hours of yesterday morning. It is understood that after being pushed, the man toppled over the low banister, falling to the hall below. The incident occurred in Triq Francesco Azzopardi, Rabat, at around 1:30am on Sunday.

The man was taken to Mater Dei Hospital where he was certified to be suffering from critical injuries and had been, at one point, in danger of dying.

This morning, his partner Debono was charged with threatening the man and causing him grievous bodily harm.

Lawyer Lucio Sciriha, appearing for the defence, entered a plea of not guilty on the woman’s behalf. The incident had arisen because of intoxication, said the lawyer, adding that had the victim been in a position to appear in court, he would have renounced to his complaint and halted proceedings.

Debono, who was seen in tears outside the courtroom after the sitting, was granted bail against a personal guarantee of €2,000.