Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1475799
NEWS 5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 AUGUST 2022 Archbishop meets St Albert the Great College educators over Mario Mallia dismissal MATTHEW AGIUS EMAN Cross, a 20-year-old far-right sympathiser from Hamrun, has been arraigned in court Tuesday morning, charged with threatening his mother and her partner, as well as making threats and insults in excess of the limits of provoca- tion, during a domestic argument. The man was arraigned before Magis- trate Claire Stafrace Zammit this morn- ing by police inspector Sherona Buha- giar. Cross is also facing charges of carrying a firearm without a permit, in breach of the Arms Act and with having commit- ted these offences whilst under a proba- tion order issued in February last year. The accused has known extremist views and had even been expelled from the far right group Imperium Europa for "bad character and aggressive behav- iour," last year. A treatment order was requested, along with a restraining order and a separate request for the seizure of the firearm. When the sitting began, before the accused was even asked to confirm his details, lawyer Gianluca Caruana Cur- ran, defence counsel together with law- yers Charles Merceica and Ana Thomas, asked that the parties be allowed to ap- proach the magistrate's bench, so as to discuss the case privately. The request was upheld. Mercieca asked for a ban on publication of the man's name, saying this could im- pact the man's employment prospects, but the prosecution objected, arguing that it saw no reason for a ban in view of the fact that no minors were involved. The court said that it did not agree with the justification given for the re- quest, which was to protect the man's employment, as the man's probation of- ficer would have to liaise with the man's employer anyway. Mercieca argued the point at length, dictating a note with his request for a ban on the publication of the man's de- tails, in particular the name of his em- ployer. Inspector Buhagiar objected, telling the court that "we are not here to accommo- date people, including the accused's em- ployer." In similar cases no ban was giv- en because of such circumstances, added the inspector. The court ruled that it saw no reason to uphold the request for a media ban on the publication of the man's details, but upheld it with regards to his employer. Cross pleaded guilty to the weapons charge and the breach of probation, but not to the charges relating to threats. The court placed him under a tempo- rary supervision order together with a treatment order, at the request of both prosecution and the accused. Bail was also requested by the defence, saying that if granted, the accused would be residing with his sister who was pres- ent in the courtroom. The prosecution made no submissions on bail. With regards to the man's bail condi- tions, Mercieca asked the court to en- sure that the accused was allowed to go to work, also submitting that he was 20 years old and had only just started work, so his financial means were "limited." The court upheld the bail request, or- dering Cross to sign a bail book three times a week and observe a curfew. His bail was secured by a deposit of €300 and a €10,000 personal guarantee. Cross was also placed under a treatment order for alcohol abuse and ordered to keep the peace with his family or face a separate fine of €500. With regards to his mother and her partner, the court was clear. "You can- not talk or approach them. At least for now. If you breach this decree you can be fined up to €7000 or jailed for up to 2 years or to both the fine and punish- ment." Far-right sympathiser Eman Cross charged with threatening mother, carrying unlicensed firearm Eman Cross had been kicked out of far-right group Imperium Europa for 'bad character and aggressive behaviour' KARL AZZOPARDI ARCHBISHOP Charles J. Sci- cluna on Tuesday met with 50 educators from St Albert the Great College in Valletta, whose popular headmaster and ADPD politician, Mario Mallia, was fired by the Dominican Order last week. "The Archbishop appealed to the staff so that this difficult moment does not tarnish the beautiful experiences they have been through over the years. He also said that stu- dents' educational experience is always a priority," the Curia said in a statement. Mallia was accused of "usurping the school proper- ty" for allowing the Electoral Commission to use the school as a polling station against payment for the school, in a bid to alleviate the hardship of elderly voters having to walk to Fort St Elmo, as well as for "aggravated insubordination" after insisting to have college staff represented on a new board that liaises with the Do- minican province of Malta. The decision saw a number of leading figures and academ- ics slamming the decision on social media. The dismissal has also seen the Malta Union of Teach- ers filing court proceedings against St Albert the Great College over Mario Mallia's dismissal as headmaster. In a reaction to the dismissal, the Archbishop had said that he is open 'open to a service of mediation if both parties agree to negotiate'. The Curia said on Tues- day that when meeting with teachers, Archbishop Sciclu- na expressed the hope that church schools would imple- ment inclusivity programmes in a spirit of dialogue 'with all stakeholders'. The meeting, held at the Cu- ria, saw staff members speak- ing about their experiences with Mallia. "They mentioned inclusion initiatives at the school, and expressed the desire for more schools to adopt initiatives that have positive effects on children and in society." The meeting was also attend- ed by Father Charles Mallia O.Carm, the Archbishop's Delegate for Catholic Edu- cation, and Mr Ian Mifsud, Director for Curriculum and Standards within the Secretar- iat for Catholic Education. Mario Mallia was head of St Albert the Great College for 16 years