Man Gets 8 Months for Spousal Battery

A Reseda man was sentenced to eight months in jail after being convicted of spousal battery in a case in which he attacked his estranged wife and terrorized her and their three children, the Los Angeles city attorney said.

Foaud Jamal, 44, was sentenced by Los Angeles Municipal Judge Suzanne Person on Tuesday after a five-day trial in which the jury dismissed Jamal’s contention that he never struck his wife and that she was the aggressor in the June incident that led to the charges. Jamal told the court that he planned to appeal the conviction, according to the city attorney.

Person set Jamal’s bail at $50,000 for the appeal and ordered him to begin serving his sentence immediately. She also ordered Jamal, a Lebanese national, to surrender his passport to the court within 48 hours of being released in the event that he posts the bail, a spokesman for the city attorney said.

Witnesses testified that Jamal went to his wife’s Reseda home on June 15 and began damaging the kitchen, using a garden hose to spray cupboards, drawers and appliances. Jamal’s wife fled the home with their three children, but when she returned six hours later with their 10-year-old son, Jamal was still there, the city attorney said.

The victim testified that Jamal threatened her, struck her in the mouth and physically prevented her from dialing 911.

According to the city attorney, the boy then ran from the house to get help and when Jamal chased him, his wife used the opportunity to call 911 for help.