Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1468621
4 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 25 MAY 2022 4 NEWS Hamrun assault: facial fractures and missing teeth MATTHEW AGIUS TWO men have been charged in connection with a brutal fight at a Hamrun lounge bar which happened on Monday at 2 m. Paul Spagnol, 35, Birkirka- ra and a 17-year-old boy from San Gwann appeared in the dock before magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras, accused of at- tacking and grievously injuring a Somali man at the bar on May 23 at around 2am. The victim suffered facial fractures and had some of his teeth knocked out, the court was told. In addition to these charges, prosecuting police inspector Andy Rotin also accused the men of voluntarily breaching the peace. Paul Spagnol was further accused of being a re- cidivist. The prosecution requested the accused be ordered to suffer the costs of appointing experts. Inspector Rotin told the court how a man had gone to the po- lice station to report being beat- en up after trying to enter a pri- vate party at the club. The men pleaded not guilty to the charges. Their respective lawyers both requested bail. This was objected to by the prosecution. Lawyer Alexander Scerri Her- rera, for Spagnol, argued that the men resided in Malta and there was no risk of them ab- sconding. The younger accused had a clean criminal record, he said, suggesting that the court could impose a protection or- der preventing them from ap- proaching Hamrun. There had been a prior alter- cation, he said. Lawyer Roberto Spiteri sec- onded the arguments, saying that their continued detention would prejudice their employ- ment. The fears raised by the prosecution were not substan- tiated by evidence and were weak, he argued. It would be unjust to remand them in cus- tody, he said. The bar employees had also all told the police that the accused had no part in the fight, sug- gested the defence. The court released the men on bail, ordering them to observe a curfew and stay away from Hamrun and the prosecution's witnesses. Both men's bail was secured by separate deposits of €1,000 a personal guarantee of €6,500. The court imposed a ban on reporting the name of the 17-year-old accused. Thief who stole €12,000 from employer spared jail after promising to return cash A man who admitted to having stolen €12,211 from his employer has been spared jail after promising to return the money A man who admitted to hav- ing stolen €12,211 from his em- ployer has been spared jail after promising to return the money. Klinsmann Grixti, an au- toparts shop attendant from Valletta, was arraigned before magistrate Natasha Galea Sci- berras on Tuesday, to answer to charges of aggravated theft. Police inspector Janetta Grixti told the court that a report had been received by the Qormi po- lice station, by a woman who had tried to deposit a certain amount in the bank but was stopped from doing so, as the amount being deposited didn't match that declared. The woman had then checked her office CCTV and found that it showed Grixti, her employee, helping himself to the contents of her handbag and the shop's cash register The total amount stolen was €12,211, said the inspector, explaining that the thefts had taken place on more than one occasion. Defence lawyer Jose Herre- ra suggested that a suspended sentence would better allow the accused to settle the amount. This was seconded by parte civ- ile lawyer Rene Darmanin who said his clients had no objec- tion and "weren't after their pound of flesh." Herrera said the accused had no criminal record and had come from a broken family. He had a debt with certain people and made a mistake. The lawyer suggested a probation officer be appointed to follow the accused and assist him in his reintegra- tion into society. Herrera also told the court that the parties had come to an informal plea deal. The mag- istrate noted that the charges carried with them a maximum punishment of seven years im- prisonment. "The court is not bound by your plea deals…You plead guilty, unconditionally, full stop." The lawyer suggested the po- lice revoke one of the charges. Darmanin agreed, suggesting a revocation of the aggrava- tions to the charges. The court once again pointed out that the charges would have to be re- scinded by the prosecution, not the parte civile. But the prosecution agreed to withdraw the charges bar that of aggravated theft. The accused then entered a guilty plea. He bound himself to re- turn the stolen money. The prosecution, in its sub- missions on punishment, said that in view of the accused's declaration that he would re- turn the money he had stolen, as well as his clean criminal re- cord, it was not insisting on im- prisonment. The accused had learned his lesson, insisted Herrera. The court ordered the prosecution and defence counsel to ap- proach the bench, where the case was discussed. The magistrate noted that some of the charges had been dropped and that the accused had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. On the other hand, the court took into ac- count the serious nature of the crime as well as the amount of money stolen. For this reason, the court, finding him guilty, sentenced Grixti to two years in jail, suspended for four years and ordered him to refund the money within six months. He was also placed under a proba- tion order.