Husband convicted of repeated verbal abuse, threats to kill, and breach of peace against wife and daughter in their Dingli home.
Court of Magistrates (Malta) as a Court of Criminal Judicature · Magistrate Dr. Nadia H. Vella B.A., LL.D., Dip. Trib. Eccl. Melit. · 5 May 2026
Christopher Azzopardi, a 47-year-old man from Ħad-Dingli, faced criminal charges following a series of incidents in late June 2025 in which he subjected his wife, Ruth Azzopardi, and his daughter, Roxanne Azzopardi, to sustained verbal abuse, humiliating insults, and explicit death threats. The charges covered events on 25 June 2025, 26 June 2025, and 27 June 2025, with the prosecution arguing that these incidents formed part of a continuous pattern of abusive behaviour that had become a way of life for the household. Ruth Azzopardi testified that on 25 June 2025 her husband began insulting her and her family — including her recently deceased mother — as she and her daughter left for the beach, and continued the abuse upon their return, having also vandalised the home with oil, beer bottles, cigarettes, and spittle. On 26 June 2025 he woke the household at dawn with shouting at his own mother, then resumed insulting Ruth on Facebook. On the morning of 27 June 2025 he abused her again at his garage in Ħal-Qormi, and later that day drove her while drunk, honking aggressively at other road users and drinking whiskey in the vehicle, causing her to fear for her safety. Among the threats uttered were: 'I'll throw you downstairs, I'll set the dog on you, I'll kill you, I'll plunge a knife in your throat.' Roxanne Azzopardi corroborated her mother's account in full, adding that her father also locked the two of them out of their own home and called them both prostitutes. The defendant's own mother, Pawla Azzopardi, confirmed that her son and daughter-in-law fought regularly and that both had alcohol problems, while also confirming that Ruth and Roxanne had sought refuge at her flat on the night of 27 June 2025. The defendant exercised his right not to testify, and in his earlier statement to police he simply denied everything. The court found both charges proved beyond reasonable doubt. On the first charge of injuries and threats, it relied on the consistent and detailed accounts given by Ruth and Roxanne, noting that Ruth's statement made to police immediately after the events — a tempo vergine — deserved particular weight because it had been given before there was any opportunity to alter or embellish the story. The court applied established jurisprudence holding that a single credible witness is sufficient for conviction. On the second charge of breach of the peace, the court found that Azzopardi's drunk driving on a public road, aggressive horn-sounding, and consumption of whiskey in the vehicle while causing his wife genuine fear for her safety satisfied the legal elements of the offence under Article 338(dd) of the Criminal Code. The prosecution also successfully invoked Article 18 of the Criminal Code to seek an enhanced penalty for the continuous nature of the offending.
Christopher Azzopardi found guilty on both charges: (1) injuries and threats against Ruth Azzopardi and Roxanne Azzopardi under the Criminal Code; (2) breach of the peace on 27 June 2025. Enhanced penalty applied under Article 18 of the Criminal Code (Ch. 9) for continuous offending. A protection order under Article 412Ċ and a treatment order under Article 412D of Ch. 9 had already been issued as bail conditions on 29 June 2025 and remain in force. Prosecution also requested application of Articles 382A and 383 (Ch. 9) and costs relating to expert witnesses under Articles 532A, 532B and/or 533 (Ch. 9).
Criminal Code Ch. 9 — injuries and threats (Arts. 18, 338(dd), 339(1)(e)), breach of the peace, protection orders (Art. 412Ċ), treatment orders (Art. 412D), enhanced penalty for continuous offending (Art. 18), expert costs (Arts. 532A, 532B, 533)