This column first appeared in Malta Today

At 10pm in the evening of 7 March, while many of us were enjoying our Saturday evening, a little 10-year-old girl ran out on the Coast Road, asking people for help. A woman picked her up and took her to the Police station where she told them that her father had “killed” her brother at the White Rocks complex and had tried to strangle her, but she had escaped.

The scene which met the Police at White rocks sounds like something from a gruesome true crime documentary. But this was no Netflix series. The 12-year-old boy was found unconscious, lying in a pool of blood with grievous head injuries – he was rushed to Mater Dei and is currently in ITU, still in critical condition. The girl has thankfully recovered from her injuries and has been released from hospital.

A manhunt ensued for the father who had already fled the scene. Initially the Police only found his mobile which contained messages indicating that he might end his life. The father was eventually found three days later in the Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq area and arrested. Testifying in Court, the Police said that the man appeared to have attempted suicide, allegedly trying to strangle himself. He had jumped onto the rocks, but instead fell into the sea, where waves smashed him against the rocks, and he sustained several injuries including four to five broken ribs.

It is believed that the man, an Italian national who is estranged from his wife and who has been living in Malta for 15 years, had the children with him because it was “his” day to see them. On taking the children to the White Rocks site he became violent. Investigators also contacted the children’s mother, who had earlier received a call from her husband. During the conversation, he reportedly told her in Italian, “Take the daughter; the son is in heaven.”
The case is now in court where the man has been charged with attempted murder, but details of what might have led to this brutal attack are still unclear. So far, what has emerged does not seem to have foreshadowed the horrific events of that Saturday night.
A police spokesperson told Times of Malta,”The police received reports of harassment from both parties in February, when they filed reports against each other concerning their personal relationship. These reports did not indicate domestic violence, either between them or involving the children, nor any signs of abuse towards the children.” The man’s friends and family have expressed shock at the developments, saying he “always spoke lovingly of his kids” and had tattooed their names on his arms. They said they would have “never expected” him to carry out the alleged crimes.
These types of cases, where children are almost killed (or actually killed) at the hands of their own parents, are thankfully rare in Malta and, in fact, we often console ourselves that these things only happen “abroad”. In other countries, sadly, they are much more common especially where the parents are separated and the husband or the wife want to get back at their spouse by attacking the children. Let me make it clear that I’m not saying that is what happened here, because the motive is not yet conclusive and I will certainly not entertain any conjectures and suppositions in such a delicate matter at this stage. Justice must take its course.

What was rather odd was that the court issued a ban on the publication of the father’s name and his photo when we had been seeing it splashed all over social media for several days, from the time the man fled the scene until he was found. As a wanted man who had just committed a violent crime, it was imperative for his name and photo to be out there so that the Police could trace his whereabouts. I realise that the idea is to protect the identity of the children as well as the wife, but by then that ship had already sailed. Malta’s small size means everyone had already connected the dots and knew who they were.

Another puzzling piece is the juxtaposition between the way the man was described by those who knew him, the lack of previous violent behaviour and that fateful Saturday night. What happened to make him snap like that? Again, we need to wait for the facts before jumping to any conclusions, but I am sure it must instil fear in the hearts of parents where a separation or divorce has not been amicable. It is a sad reality that in most cases, marital breakdowns result in animosity and even downright hatred with the poor kids being ping-ponged between the two parents who cannot see beyond their own hurt and wounded pride. Despite being admonished by child psychologists that it is in the interest of the children not to see warring parents tear each other apart, to avoid badmouthing each other and to act as civilised as possible – this advice often falls on deaf ears.

While everyone who has been through it will agree that it is extremely difficult to remain calm and reasonable when a marriage breaks down because raw emotions get in the way, where children are involved it is not only necessary but absolutely crucial. That often means swallowing one’s pride and not using kids as a weapon against the other side. It sounds good on paper but out there in the real world we are all keenly aware how many times parents resort to doing everything they can to punish their spouse by whatever means possible, even if it means their own children are being psychologically damaged.

Meanwhile, it was reported that during his Police interrogation, the man said he wanted to cooperate and directed the police to a notebook in a caravan where he had been hiding. Police found a note detailing what he had done to his son, expressing remorse for his actions and saying he wanted to end his life after he thought his son was dead.
The father has pleaded not guilty to the charges of attempted murder.