Woman accused of attacking officers and drug possession after reckless driving incident

A 20-year-old woman from Bormla has been accused of attacking officers who stopped the car she was driving after noticing that she was driving dangerously.

Zoya Attard appeared in the dock before magistrate Nadine Lia on Wednesday, charged with insulting or threatening a police officer and a Transport Malta enforcement officer, violently resisting a police officer, driving in a dangerous and reckless manner and driving without a licence. 

She was also charged with possession of ecstasy after eight pills thought to contain the illegal drug were subsequently found at her residence.

Inspector Paul Camilleri told the court how yesterday morning, the officers had noticed a Toyota Corolla being driven in a dangerous manner in Ħamrun. The driver, Attard, had ignored their orders to stop. 

They caught up with her when Attard eventually had to stop the car further down the road. The court was told that when she refused to get out of the car, the police officer had deftly pulled the car keys out of the ignition to prevent her from driving off. She continued to resist arrest, leaving the officers with scratches. A search of the car did not return anything of interest, but a subsequent search of her residence returned eight ecstasy pills.

Although sources told MaltaToday that the defendant was “probably” under the influence of drugs at the time, no charges of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol were filed.

Attard pleaded not guilty. Her lawyers, David Gatt and John Bonello, made a request for bail, which was upheld against a €2,000 deposit and a €2,000 personal guarantee. Attard was also ordered to sign a bail book twice weekly and observe a curfew.