A man who drove his van at speed down a street in Mġarr, hitting his uncle-in-law, had not intended to injure the victim, despite a history of tension between them, a court found today.
Joseph Bugeja, 50, from Mġarr, had pleaded not guilty to having attempted to put the life of Martin Chetcuti in manifest danger and to having driven in a dangerous and negligent manner. The man was further accused of having, in the months preceding the incident, harassed his victim.
Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit heard how years of strained family relations had caused tension between the two men. The accused had reportedly been irked by the fact that his wife had, some four years earlier, sought refuge at his aunt's house. She had also allegedly claimed that she was suffering at the hands of the accused.
The two men also had an ongoing dispute over a wall close to their residences which the accused allegedly intended to pull down in spite of Mr Chetcuti's opposition.
On the morning of March 26, 2014, Mr Chetcuti had taken photos of the wall intending to present them to MEPA and was making back his way down Triq iċ-Cagħaq at around 8.45am when the incident happened.
Mr Chetcuti was hit,...
