Man jailed for courtroom assault

A man who attacked three police officers and two women in a courtroom has been jailed for six months and fined €4,000

The court ordered that Briffa be given assistance to overcome his psychological problems that it said were leading him to delinquency
The court ordered that Briffa be given assistance to overcome his psychological problems that it said were leading him to delinquency

A man who attacked three police officers and two women in a courtroom has been jailed for six months and fined €4,000.

38-year-old Antonio Briffa from Luqa was charged with having attacked police inspector Hubert Cini and constables Brenton Gilford and Clint Bohm on 21 February, during the hearing of a case where Briffa was one of the parties. A lawyer and the man's ex-wife, are also understood to have been assaulted in the attack.

At the time, Briffa had been on bail for another offence, as well as having been in the middle of the operative period of a suspended sentence and being in breach of two separate conditional discharges at the time of the incident, noted the court.

The incident was made all the more serious by the fact that it occurred inside the courtroom.

Noting that assaults on uniformed officers and wardens were on the rise, magistrate Joe Mifsud was unequivocal in his defence of the forces of law and order in their line of duty.

“The court makes it clear that all officials entrusted with enforcing public order are to be protected in the course of their duties and nobody is excused – whatever the reason – for threatening or injuring them.”

Orders by law enforcement officials are to be obeyed immediately and respect is to be shown “to every official, always and everywhere,” especially in situations of heightened tension, said the court.

Magistrate Joe Mifsud stressed that when such incidents occur, the court ushers and police are to intervene immediately and not allow the incident to continue to escalate as had happened in this case.

A police officer had suffered slight injuries as a result of the courtroom assault.

The court found the man not guilty of breaching two conditional discharges, and abstained - at the prosecution's request - from deciding on the charges of having threatening the police officers in the course of their duties or of causing them slight injuries. The man was also cleared of breaching two separate sets of bail conditions that had been imposed on him in February and August 2016.

Briffa was, however, found guilty of violently resisting the forces of public order, attacking the five persons in the courtroom, failing to obey police orders and breaching the peace. For this he was jailed for six months and fined €4,000. Instead of bringing into effect the man's one year suspended prison sentence, the court chose to restart the period of suspension from today.

Also finding him guilty of breaching bail conditions, the court revoked the man's bail and ordered his rearrest, which is understood to imply that he will remain under arrest even were he to file an appeal.

The magistrate said he felt that in the circumstances, he should not confiscate the man's €15,000 personal guarantee.

Protection orders were issued in favour of inspector Cini, PCs Gilford and Bohm, Briffa's estranged partner and her lawyer, against a personal guarantee of €1,000.

The court ordered that Briffa be given assistance to overcome his psychological problems that it said were leading him to delinquency, placing him under a three-year treatment order for this purpose.

Inspector Daryl Borg prosecuted. Antonio Briffa was assisted by lawyer Alfred Abela.