Hammer Assault In Front Of Young Children Lands St. Paul’s Bay Woman Four Years Jail
A 37-year-old woman from St. Paul’s Bay was sentenced to four years in jail after assaulting her neighbour with a hammer and causing grievous injuries in front of the victim’s children.
TVM reported that on 28th November, 2018 in Triq iċ-Ċern, a fight between Charlene Gatt and the victim broke out. The Qawra Police then went on the scene to find a woman in a car with blood on her face and on the palm of her hands.
The woman had just returned from school with her children, aged five and six, when Gatt appeared with a hammer and tried to assault the six-year-old child.
Although the victim managed to close the door, Gatt had already started hitting her with the hammer, pulling her hair and spitting in her face until the victim finally managed to wrestle the hammer from Gatt’s hands.
The latter was then arrested as she was found in the balcony of her residence.
When asked in Court, the victim testified that when she asked Gatt why she did this, she replied, “that’s what I wanted to do because you enjoy it when other people have problems”.
The witness added that Gatt was never bothered by the victim.
Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia ruled that the crime took place without provocation and that Gatt’s motive behind the crime was that the victim had reported the accused for damaging her car a month before.
She also considered that the crime took place in front of young children when she came to hand down the sentence.
Magistrate Farrugia also considered that Gatt was found guilty 20 times before for loitering and fraud.
Additionally, she had breached her conditional release six times, her probation order three times and was given a suspended sentence twice.
A restraining order was also issued in favour of the victim, meaning that after her sentence, Gatt cannot speak to the victim for a period of three years.
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