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MaltaToday 22 December 2021 MIDWEEK

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9 EWROPEJ maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 22 DECEMBER 2021 MATTHEW AGIUS A court has denied bail to a man accused of attacking a bar owner with a metal pipe in Marsa. Before magistrate Claire Sta- frace Zammit, Inspector Paul Camilleri arraigned Paola res- ident Mahamed Diriye Ayab, 27, from Somalia, charging him with attacking and slightly in- juring a man, as well as insult- ing and threatening the man and a woman beyond the limits of provocation in a fight at a Marsa bar. He was also accused of volun- tarily breaching the peace. The prosecution requested protec- tion and restraining orders to be issued. Proceedings were nearly stalled after the two interpret- ers engaged to assist the ac- cused failed to turn up for the arraignment. Despite claiming not to speak English, the court noted that the accused was able to communicate with his law- yer in the language, and so or- dered the proceedings to con- tinue. While the charges were being read out in English, one interpreter arrived. Inspector Paul Camilleri told the court that Ayab had been drinking at a bar yesterday af- ternoon and argued with the owner, later coming back to attack him with a metal pipe. The court heard how a knife had also allegedly been used but this had not been found at the scene. Through lawyer Yanika Buge- ja, Ayab entered a plea of not guilty. Bail was requested. The prosecution objected to his release, arguing that the ac- cused had been granted asylum status in Italy but had no strong ties with Malta. His address in Paola was known to be shared with other asylum seekers. He said he worked at the bar. Bugeja argued that the charges were dealt with minor crimes. Normally persons accused of these offences were not even charged under arrest, said the lawyer. Ayab had a job and an address in Malta and was still considered innocent until proven guilty, Bugeja submit- ted, adding that his lack of ties to Malta could be countered by court-imposed conditions. The court, however, having seen the relevant dispositions of the criminal code, ruled against bail, saying that at this stage, it did not have the peace of mind that the accused had a fixed place of residence and that the two key civilian wit- nesses were yet to testify. Man charged with attacking bar owner with metal pipe denied bail A man from Birkirkara has been handed a suspended sentence and a €2,000 fine after he admitted to spitting in a police officer's face at the local police station. Dressed in an oversized blue hoodie, Eugenio Lan- zon,33, was brought before magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit under arrest this morning, accused of com- mitting an offence against a public officer who was carry- ing out his duties, disobeying and attempting to interfere in police orders, failing to wear an anti-Covid face mask in public and breaching the peace. The accused had spat in a police sergeant's face at the Birkirkara police station, where he had allegedly been brought in for being drunk and disorderly in public. The defence told the court that the incident had taken place at the police station, adding that the man's mask had been torn during the en- suing arrest. Prosecuting inspector An- drew Agius did not insist on a prison sentence but asked for any fine imposed to be above the minimum. A re- straining order in favour of the sergeant in question was also requested. The court, noting that the accused had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and that the lesser charges were absorbed in, the more serious one, handed Lanzon a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, to- gether with a fine of €2,000. A restraining order was also issued. As this was explained to the accused, he told the court that he only earns €800 a month and has three chil- dren to maintain. His lawyer asked the court to allow him some time to pay the fine. The Court granted him three years to do so. Man pleads guilty to spitting in police sergeant's face

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