The Dili Municipality Court has imposed a one-year suspended sentence to a man who assaulted his partner after she refused to allow him to attend a wedding party.
According to the facts of the case read by the presiding judge, the incident occurred on February 24, 2016 at about 5pm while the accused was preparing to attend a wedding party.
The court heard the victim refused to allow her husband to attend the party because their child was sick.
However, the accused did not listen to what she said because he was in a hurry and afraid of being late. The victim then locked the door to prevent her husband from leaving.
The accused repeatedly urged his wife to unlock the door, but when she continued to refuse he picked up a phone and threw it at her head. In response, the victim then threw a plate at the accused, but it missed.
The victim later reported the incident to police.
When asked by the presiding judge for his response, the accused declined to make a statement and said he agreed with the facts as outlined.
The victim told the court the couple had received family counseling and had since reconciled.
“We have discussed and resolved our problems through the kinship system,” she said.
The public defender then called on the court to impose an adequate sentence, adding that the accused recognized his mistake and would not repeat his actions in the future.
After hearing the declarations, the presiding judge handed down a one-year suspended sentence to the accused.
