Man accused of assaulting and injuring officers at Valletta police station

A report of a man spitting on passers-by and scaring them with his dog led to a confrontation with law enforcement, during which he allegedly assaulted and injured a police officer, a court was told today.

24-year-old Valletta resident Damien Attard appeared in the dock in Magistrate Noel Bartolo’s courtroom on Thursday. Attard, who told the court he was employed by a pizza delivery company, was accused of attacking or resisting four police officers, insulting and threatening them, as well as slightly injuring one of the officers. Attard was further charged with disobeying legitimate orders and assault, breaching the peace, recidivism and breaching two separate sets of bail conditions. The incidents are alleged to have happened in Valletta yesterday.

Inspector Daryl Borg, prosecuting together with Inspector Gabriel Micallef told the court how the police had received a report about a man molesting passers-by in Valletta. Attard is understood to have spat at random people, intentionally bumped into passers-by, intimidated them with his dog - a German Shepherd- and insulted them.

He became aggressive when approached by police officers and proceeded to insult and spit at them, too, which led to his arrest. He then assaulted and injured a police officer while at the police station.

Lawyer Franco Debono, defence counsel together with lawyer Marion Camilleri, asked the inspector about a prior incident, suggesting that Attard had been “molested first.”

Inspector Borg replied that Attard had been approaching many people in Valletta.

“He did not give the police time to ask what had led to the incident because he assaulted the officers as soon as they approached him.”

Magistrate asked why Attard was still handcuffed inside the courtroom, being told that the defendant had been “somewhat agitated” outside. The magistrate ordered the restraints be removed.

A not guilty plea was entered by the man’s lawyers, who also requested bail.

The prosecution objected to his release, in view of the nature of the crimes he was accused of, together with the fact that this was not the first such incident that he had been involved in. He had been convicted on the same charges after a previous incident, explained inspector Borg. Attard interjected that he had “not been convicted yet,” before being shushed by his lawyer.

Inspector Borg pointed out that Attard was registered as residing in Żabbar on the police database, and had previously been ordered to sign a bail book in that town, but had just told the court that he lived in Valletta, and had not informed the police of the change of address.

Debono submitted that there was no risk of him tampering with the evidence as all the prosecution witnesses were police officers. Attard was presumed innocent at this stage. “He has a job and he is claiming to have been attacked first,” said the lawyer.

The court, after hearing the submissions on bail, rejected the request and ordered Attard be remanded in custody in view of the nature of the charges and because he did not offer the guarantees required by law.