Waiting to be jailed

David Muscat expects a policeman to knock on his door at any minute to take him to serve a month in jail for not paying his ex-wife maintenance while he was temporarily unemployed. “My bags are packed. I’m waiting for someone to come and get me,” the 52-year-old told The Sunday Times, claiming he did not have enough money to appeal against the decision. Mr Muscat said he could not understand in the first place how the Civil Court fixed the monthly maintenance to his ex-wife and their three children at €1,000 – which included €300 per child and €100 for his wife – when a court-appointed legal procurator recommended it should be €580. An appeal court later reduced the maintenance to €400 per month – €200 for two of the children as one had become an adult and no maintenance for the wife – but by that time he had lost his job. This meant he failed to make payments for four months, as his only income was €380 per month in social benefits. Last Wednesday, Magistrate Anthony Vella sentenced Mr Muscat to a month’s imprisonment for failing to make the required maintenance payments. He had a week to appeal but claimed he could not afford to pay the court and legal fees. While...