Man remanded in custody after scuffling with police

A man has been remanded in custody after scuffling with police on a bus yesterday in Triq it-Turisti, Qawra. 

The incident, caught on a video which is circulating online, is understood to have started when the man was denied boarding after refusing to pay his fare. Two police officers were slightly injured.

Inspector Ryan Vella charged John Okoro with a number of offences, which include slightly injuring the police officers and resisting arrest.

The defendant John Okoro from Nigeria gave “no place” as his address and “nothing” as his place of work, when asked this by the court.

Lawyer Joe Brincat informed the court that his client was pleading not guilty to the charges.

Brincat requested bail. Most of the offences are contraventions, normally punishable by a fine, argued the lawyer. "There are two serious charges: causing injury and attacking or resisting the police," he observed.

Many migrants depend on work they can find on a given day, and get jobs on a day to day basis, Brincat told the court. “This is the situation. If he doesn’t have work, he will not be able to pay for bus fares.”

The lawyer told the court that “everyone was thrown out” when the Marsa Open Centre was closed down.

“So when it comes to renting property to people in such circumstances, the rents are astronomical. €500 per month is a normal amount,” said the lawyer. “These people don’t have money and have to share accommodation in order to have a roof over their heads.”

Inspector Vella objected to the bail request, telling the court that the officers had only asked the man to get off the bus, but he had reacted aggressively and injured them. “This is a serious case and cannot be tolerated, especially for such a minor inconvenience. The absence of an address also makes him difficult to trace for the purpose of summonsing him for sittings.”

The court, presided by magistrate Astrid May Vella, did not accede to the request for bail, citing the grievous nature of the case and the fact that the defendant did not have a fixed residence or means of income.