Out of frustration for not having money, FDS the husband of MB beat her up after she asked him to give her money to go and buy medicines for their sick child.
The accusation by the of Ministry of Public Prosecutions (MP) read out by the presiding judge of the Dili District Court stated that on 20 November 2013 the accused husband FDS pulled his wife MB’s hair, punched and kicked her after she asked him for money and he failed to provide it so that she could go out and buy medicine.
During the trial the FDS remained quiet and only nodded in the affirmative to the MP’s accusation.
Public prosecutor Lidia Soares said according to Law No. 7/2010 domestic violence is a public crime.
The court was asked to apply a six months suspended sentence to the defendant as a deterrent.
The defendant’s lawyer Ruben Maia said since the incident FDS had not harmed his wife and they were still living together.
He added the defendant is employed as a security guard and that if he was sent to prison his family would be adversely impacted because he is the sole financial provider in the family.
The presiding-judge applied a suspended sentence to the defendant and told him not to repeat the offence in future.
