Samurai sword attacker jailed for breaching bail

A homeless Libyan man breaches two sets of bail conditions and is jailed after admitting to the charges

The man pleaded guilty to the charges and was jailed by the court
The man pleaded guilty to the charges and was jailed by the court

A man on bail for a samurai sword attack in Paceville four years ago, and grievously injuring a man in another fight in July 2018 has been jailed.

The Libyan man, Ibrahim ben Jeddi, pleaded guilty of breaching his bail conditions on both cases and was jailed for four months.

Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo heard on Wednesday that Ben Jeddi, who has no fixed address in Malta, had been placed on the police wanted list after failing to sign his bail book since November.

He presented himself at the police headquarters in Floriana yesterday, according to Inspector Mark Mercieca. The inspector asked that the man’s €27,000 bail bond be confiscated.

Ben Jeddi had first hit the headlines in 2016 when he and another man had allegedly attacked two Maltese bouncers in Paceville with samurai swords. Whilst on bail for that offence, he had allegedly also grievously injured a Swedish man and slightly injured another after he smashed down their front door in an assault in Sliema, two years later.

Assisted by a translator and a legal aid lawyer, the accused pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

Lawyer Josette Sultana told the court that the accused had nowhere to stay and had ended up living on the streets, asking that the court take this into consideration.

Inspector Mercieca added that the accused had no money and didn’t want to sign his bail book. He asked for imprisonment to regulate the man’s position

For the defence, Sultana asked for a punishment close to the minimum.

The accused pleaded guilty when given time to reconsider. The court warned that he faced between four months and two years in prison just for the bail breach, and his €27,000 bond would be confiscated.

If he doesn’t pay this amount, they would be converted to a prison term, said the court. If unpaid, the total amount works out to just over 2 years in prison.

More time was given to the man to reconsider.

The court then asked him again what he was pleading and the accused reiterated his admission.

Ben Jeddi was declared guilty on his own admission and was jailed for four months for the breach of bail, with the court also ordering him to forfeit his €27,000 bail bond.