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2 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 20 NOVEMBER 2024 2 JORDAN PACE jpace@mediatoday.com.mt Man charged with threatening wife into terminating her pregnancy Man remanded in custody after drugs found during Paola traffic stop A man has been remanded in custody after making death threats to his wife to force her into terminating her pregnancy. The accused, Yusef Hamki Said, is a 21-year-old man from Syria living in Marsaskala. He had threatened the victim that if she didn't terminate the pregnancy, he'd kill her. The victim was in the hall and asked to leave before the pro- ceeding began. The accused pleaded not guilty, and the defence request- ed bail. The prosecution objected due to the lack of ties he has to the country and because he does not have a fixed Maltese ad- dress. The prosecution also men- tioned fears of tampering of evidence, since the victim and other witnesses need to testify. The defence objected to this on the basis that the acts are those which are typical of do- mestic violence. "The case is what it is, I had three such cases this morning and none of them were impris- oned," lawyer Jason Grima said. He said the accused was ex- pecting a baby with the victim, which automatically ties the ac- cused to Malta. "He does have an address, he is not homeless," Grima said. The defence concluded its statements by mentioning that the accused collaborated with the police, and had voluntarily presented himself at a police station to answer for his accu- sations. The Court did not accept the defence's request, and the ac- cused was remanded in custo- dy until the compilation of evi- dence starts. Meanwhile, a protection or- der was ordered by the Court in favour of the victim. This is an ongoing case. Inspector Antonello Magri led the prosecution. The ac- cused was represented by Jason Grima and Kirsty Muscat. A 22-year-old man from Valletta was re- manded in custody after police found drugs suspected to be cocaine, heroin, and cannabis during a traffic stop in Paola. Kyle Pace has been arrested following the discovery of suspected drugs hidden in his trousers and in his car during a po- lice traffic check in Paola. The court de- nied bail, citing fears of further offences and evidence tampering. The accused, Kyle Pace, a 22-year-old man residing in Valletta, was arrested af- ter being found in possession of several packets containing substances suspected to be cocaine and heroin, as well as pack- ets of suspected cannabis. The inspector recalled how on 17 No- vember 2024 at around 3:30pm, during a traffic check carried out on Triq Gi- useppe Garibaldi in Paola, police noticed a vehicle whose driver, upon seeing the officers, reversed into a field entrance and stopped. The officers immediately approached the vehicle, and the driver informed the police that he did not have a driving li- cense. Due to reasonable suspicion, a search was conducted in the vehicle, where the police found two packets of suspected cannabis as well as a sum of cash of around €1,400. Subsequently, as the officers were about to search the man, he took out two bags hidden in his trousers and threw them into a nearby water reservoir. These bags were immediately retrieved by the police and were found to contain several pack- ets with white and brown substances sus- pected to be cocaine and heroin. The man was arrested on the spot, and a recount of the total amount of substance found was taken. The accused's mother along with his girlfriend were present in court, both of which highly emotional throughout the entire proceeding. The defence did not contest the validity of the arrest of the accused. The accused pleaded not guilty, and the defence re- quested the release of the accused's arrest. The prosecution objected on the fact that there is an aggravated possession of drugs, and in the case of a guilt, the ac- cused faces an incarceration term not possible suspended. There is a magiste- rial inquiry which is currently ongoing, and there are fears that the accused might commit another crime. The prosecution voiced fears of the tampering of evidence due to the very early stage of the entire case. The prosecution further added that the accused is untrustworthy after throwing two bags, containing several packets with white and brown substances suspected to be cocaine and heroin, hidden in his trou- sers and threw them into a nearby water reservoir. The defence counter-argued that there is an open magisterial inquiry. "The ev- idence is preserved" lawyer Amadeus Cachia said, further saying that there is no question over the fear of the tamper- ing of evidence. The Court ordered a freezing order on the accused's assets and rejected the de- fence's request for bail. The accused was thus remanded in custody until a compi- lation of evidence for this case proceeds. This is an ongoing case. Lawyer Amadeus Cachia appeared for the accused. Lawyer Godwin Cini for the Attorney General, and Inspector Kurt Farrugia for the Commissioner of Police led the pros- ecution. NICOLE MEILAK & JORDAN PACE nmeilak@mediatoday.com.mt jpace@mediatoday.com.mt