Man headbutted, spat at police officers in Paceville, court told

A man has admitted to having headbutted and spat at police officers in Paceville, during the early hours of Sunday morning.

Inspector Brian Xuereb arraigned 48-year-old Agrippino Felice from Gzira before magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit earlier today, on charges of having assaulted three police officers, insulting, threatening or committing an offence in their regard while they had been performing their duties, slightly injuring a police constable, breaching the peace, being drunk and incapable of taking care of himself in a public place and disobeying legitimate police orders.

The court was told that the man had gone to a bar in Paceville with his son. Felice had become upset when his son was approached by the police about an unrelated matter and had remonstrated with the officers. He had been instructed to sit down, after which the son had told him to leave the bar.

On the street outside the bar, the man had headbutted a police officer and spat at the officer’s colleagues when they tried to restrain him. Whilst being bundled into a police car, Felice had also landed a kick on an officer’s face.

The incident had been captured on the police officers’ body cams.

Standing in the dock on Monday, Felice pleaded guilty to the charges.

While making submissions on punishment, defence lawyer Alfred Abela told the court that Felice had been going through a difficult time, as his wife was being treated for an undisclosed medical condition.

Noting Felice’s early admission of guilt and the fact that the punishment for the lesser charges was absorbed in that of the more serious ones, the court sentenced the man to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years and fined him €4,000.

A two-year restraining order was also issued in favour of the officers he had assaulted.

The Court warned Felice that breaching the restraining order would render him liable to an additional fine of €7,000 or up to two years in prison, or both fine and imprisonment.