Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/468421
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 25 FEBRUARY 2015 7 A woman who bit off part of her partner's ear during a domestic dis- pute was yesterday conditionally discharged. 33 year-old Yvette Grima from Fgura was summoned before Mag- istrate Carol Peralta, accused of causing grievous bodily harm and permanent disfigurement to her partner. Inspector Spiridione Zammit told the court that, on the night of 4 Oc- tober last year, the accused had got into a fight with her partner, biting part of his ear clean off. The court was told that the couple had since reconciled. However, as the injury was of a grievous nature, the case could not be withdrawn. The woman pleaded guilty and was conditionally discharged for a year. Lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Angela Muscat de- fended Grima. News PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD Accused in Zampa robbery attempt says l-Imniehru had framed him MATTHEW AGIUS JASON Galea, accused of taking part in the double murder of Mario Camilleri, known as l-Imniehru, his son Mario Jr, as well as that of taxi driver Matthew Zahra, has claimed that Camilleri had falsely impli- cated him in connection with the 2010 hold-up at Zampa jewellers in Valletta, "because l-Imniehru hated him and his family". 41-year-old Jason Galea, from Birzebbugia, told Magistrate Carol Peralta that he was not even in the general area of Valletta on the day of the failed robbery, in which a shot was fired, narrowly missing shop owner Frank Zampa. Galea claimed he had been work- ing with his brother at a shop in Birzebbuga and that he had heard about the robbery attempt on the news. He told the court that he was arrested in 2010 but only arraigned after 10 months and he had no idea why he was arrested. The accused told the Magistrate that his brother-in-law, Mario Camilleri, had implicated him in the robbery. He claimed to have heard his sister warning her hus- band, who was in prison at the time, to leave him alone. She had told him that if Galea were to be sent to pris- on she would stop sending Camill- eri money which he needed to buy drugs in prison. Magistrate Peralta asked him why Camilleri would falsely implicate him in a crime he did not commit. Galea said that it was because "l- Imniehru" hated both him and his family. Galea pointed out that one of the other people accused in connection with the hold-up, one Michael Zah- ra, had told the court that Galea had no part in the attempted robbery. Police Inspector Daniel Zam- mit cross-examined Galea, asking him why he had not mentioned any of this at the time of his arrest. The accused claimed to have been blackmailed and threatened in the past and had not reported this to the police in order to "keep the peace." He challenged the inspector to prove that he was at the scene of the crime, insisting that he was nowhere to be seen on the shop's CCTV recording. Galea's brother, Charles, corrobo- rated the accused's version, also claiming that he had spent all day working at his shop in Birzebbuga with his brother. Jason "had never left his side". At this point, Magistrate Peralta warned him of the consequences of perjury, but Galea stuck to his ver- sion of events. The court also heard Judith Galea, the accused's wife, testify that her husband and his brother had spent the day at the shop, only hearing of the robbery later on. Lawyer Veronique Dalli defended Jason Galea. The case continues in October. Police searching for Marsa pharmacy robber MAT THEW AGIUS A police search is underway for a man who reportedly walked into a pharmacy in Marsa yesterday afternoon and stole cash. The incident, which appears to be an opportunistic theft not a hold-up, took place at around 5.20pm at Vivian Pharmacy in Marsa. MaltaToday is informed that the man, who was unarmed and unmasked at the time, brazenly went behind the counter and took cash from the till. The pharmacist on dut y at the time was reportedly too shocked to react. Libyan student denied bail Woman bit off partner's ear Maltese to be extradited to Italy on smuggling charges A 25-year-old student from Tripoli has been denied bail after a court could not establish his address. Alaeddin Taroum appeared be- fore Magistrate Giovanni Grixti, accused of attacking his partner, a French woman, at a Naxxar apart- ment, causing grievous injury and threatening her. The accused, assisted by Mark Antony Mifsud Cutajar, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The defence requested bail, argu- ing that the fact that a witness was yet to testif y does not automati- cally exclude bail, especially as no fear of tampering with evidence or interfering with witnesses had been specified by the prosecution. "The court was empowered to give whatever order it felt neces- sary to balance the administra- tion of justice and the accused 's right as a person not convicted," he said. Police Inspector Luke Bonel- lo, prosecuting, objected on the ground that the accused 's partner was afraid that there could be oth- er incidents, mooting the possibil- ity of a protection order on behalf of the woman. Inspector Bonello told the court that the accused was living at a different address to that specified on his refugee card and indeed there was brief confusion in the courtroom when the accused was asked to give his address, men- tioning different towns and saying he "could live with friends". The court however, in view of the uncertainty of the accused 's address and the gravity of the in- juries allegedly suffered, felt that it merited that the accused be re- manded in custody until the com- plainant's testimony can be heard. MATTHEW AGIUS THE First Hall of the Civil Court in its constitutional jurisdiction has ordered that the extradition of a Ze- bbug man wanted by the Italian au- thorities on smuggling charges is to go ahead. Philip Mifsud, 60, from Zebbug is wanted in connection with the sei- zure of 18 tonnes of contraband ciga- rettes in Genoa, Italy. A warrant for his arrest, together with two other Maltese men, had been issued in De- cember 2013, which Mifsud has been contesting ever since. The other men, Francis Galea and Michael Spiteri, had been extradited some time ago, but Mifsud has been fighting extradition tooth and nail. In spite of the latest decision by the Civil Court, Mifsud is likely to re- main in Malta for some time due to another ongoing and connected case, being heard by Mr Justice Joseph Mi- callef, in which he is contesting the fact that the law regulating extradi- tion had been changed after the men had won an appeal against their ex- tradition. Mifsud, who said he was under- going psychiatric treatment and is suicidal, claimed that if he were to be extradited to Italy, unauthorised in- tercepted phone calls would be used against him, in violation of article 8 of the European Convention. However the court noted that he had presented no proof that the calls were recorded, and by whom and on whose orders. It was not known what evidence was to be presented in the Italian criminal proceedings against him and this complaint should be made during those proceedings. He would be assisted by a lawyer and given the opportunity to present a defence, in which he could include his claim about phone tapping. In addition, the court held that only the Italian court could decide on the admissibility of proof in proceedings before it. "It is not the duty of this court to investigate allegations of hu- man rights breaches regarding crimi- nal proceedings in Italy. This apart from the fact that the Italian State is not a party to these proceedings." Assistant Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg led the prosecution, while lawyers Joseph Giglio and Stephen Tonna Lowell represented Mifsud. The father, Mario Camilleri (right) with son Mario Jr