Court asked to order psychiatric evaluation of man charged with wrecking mother's home, police station

A magistrate has been asked to order a psychiatric evaluation of a man who was arraigned in court, accused of wrecking his mother’s home during an argument in February and causing further damage to a police station.

Inspector Christabelle Chetcuti charged the 34-year-old Balzan resident, accusing him of causing damage to his mother’s home, causing her to fear violence and storing a firearm insecurely, in breach of the conditions of his arms licence. He was also accused of causing damage to the police station after his arrest.

The inspector told the court how on February 20, the Birkirkara police station had been informed of a disturbance in Balzan related to a family argument. While the police were en route, they received another report of a man causing damage to the police station in Balzan.

Both incidents turned out to have been caused by the accused, she said. The property reported as damaged in the first report belonged to his mother added the inspector.

The police had found the accused to be in a highly agitated state, needing stitches to his hands. He was taken to Mount Carmel Hospital for treatment and arrested upon his release.

Lawyer Christopher Chircop, appointed as legal aid to the unemployed accused, entered a plea of not guilty. The defence was not requesting bail, said the lawyer, but requested the court appoint a board of psychiatrists to examine the accused to establish his mental state at the time of the offence and now. “To see if he was in a state of insanity at the time of the commission of the crime and today.”

Inspector Chetcuti did not object to the request but pointed out to the court that when the man had been released from Mount Carmel Hospital into police custody, he had been certified fit for interrogation, she said, exhibiting the medical certificate.

Chircop requested the court to recommend that the accused be held at the forensic ward at Mount Carmel instead of prison.

The court upheld the request, also ordering that the accused be given all necessary medical and psychiatric assistance required by the authorities.