29 November 2013

Husband given one year suspended jail sentence for bashing wife

ETLJB 29 November 2013 - The social problem of domestic violence continues to be a scourge on East Timorese society with yet another conviction of a husband for violence against his wife.


According to a report in The Dili Weekly, the Dili District Court heard a trial for a domestic violence case that involved a suspect with initials JF who beat his wife when he was drunk.

The incident itself happened in 2010 in the Dili suburb of Fatuhada. The court found that the suspect always committed domestic violence against victim JVD when he was drunk. He was given a one year suspended sentence, as this behaviour is considered a public crime.

The wife testified in court that her husband always returned home at 5am drunk and that, after coming home, "he’d always break things randomly. If I talked, he would hit me,”the wife stated in her testimony. She gave evidence that on 15 September 2010, her husband returned home drunk and punched the door until it was broken. Then, when she greeted him, he struck her on her head with a stick.

“He entered the kitchen and took the stick and hit me until my foot was swollen and I reported it to the police,” JVD said.

The accused JF said he regretted his behaviour towards the victim and declared to the court he would not repeat his actions.

“I behaved this way because I was drunk, but from now on I will not hit her anymore,” JF said.

In the three years the judicial process was underway, the victim and the accused still stayed together in one house to look after family necessities and their children. Source: The Dili Weekly 13 November 2013 Edited by Warren L. Wright

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