In a landmark judgment, Judge Consuelo Scerri Herrera has once again shown courage and determination in defending victims of domestic violence and sending a powerful message to Maltese society: violence has no place in our homes, in our communities, or in our courts.
When presiding over a case in which a man appealed a €5,000 fine after threatening his wife during ongoing custody proceedings, Judge Scerri Herrera did not waver. Despite the man’s claims that “the situation had improved,” the Court of Criminal Appeals, led by Scerri Herrera, looked at the evidence in detail — including phone calls filled with threats, insults, and denigrating remarks made in the presence of their young daughter.
The Judge listened to heartbreaking recordings in which the little girl cried and pleaded with her mother to come collect her, while her father threatened violence against her mother and her partner. It was in that moment that Judge Scerri Herrera made her position clear:
Consuelo Scerri Herrera
“The time has come when our Courts begin to pronounce harsher sentences where domestic violence is concerned, to send a message to democratic society that persons have to bear themselves in a civilised manner at all times and not to resort to violence to weaken or frighten just to have their way pass. This is never acceptable.”
Her ruling not only rejected the appeal but reaffirmed that domestic violence is never excusable, no matter the circumstances. By upholding the original sentence, she ensured that justice was not only done but seen to be done — and that the protection of victims, especially children, remains a top priority.
Judge Scerri Herrera’s words echo beyond the courtroom. They remind us that domestic violence is not a “private matter” — it is a crime that destroys families, traumatises children, and corrodes the very fabric of society. Her stand is a call to every institution, every authority, and every citizen to say “enough is enough.”
At a time when cases of domestic violence sadly remain all too common, Malta needs more judges willing to take this uncompromising stance. Judge Consuelo Scerri Herrera has shown leadership, empathy, and strength — qualities that will inspire greater confidence in our justice system and send abusers a crystal-clear message: domestic violence will not be tolerated.
