Court jails man found inside somebody else’s car and who threatened owner with penknife

A man who waved a penknife at the owner of a car while threatening to kill him, has been jailed.

Msida resident, Ans Algheziwi, 35, from Libya, had been arrested in June, after he was found sitting inside a Mercedes parked in Triq it-Torri by passersby, who were alerted by the sound of the car’s alarm siren.

During the compilation of evidence, one of the passersby had testified to having tried to restrain Alghezwi together with the owner of the car.

“[The] owner of the car, the big guy… he just took him held him and moved a bit out of the car and then they were talking, most probably in Arabic I didn’t understand, but then this guy told [me] that he didn’t want to do anything [to the defendant], like he didn't want to do this and that we are going to release him because he was hungry… but then suddenly the person took out a knife and said that if [the car’s owner] was going to call the police he was going to kill him.”

The owner of the car gave a similar account, adding that Algheziwi had begged the men to let him go, stressing that he was Muslim. “I told him, ‘I am Muslim [too], so please this is not good.”

At that moment, Alghezwi produced a red pen knife and threatened to kill the men, the court was told. “He said ‘I kill you,’ I saw it [the knife], then I held his hand back and my friend came and took away his knife.” The owner put the man on the ground and waited for the police to arrive.

The police officers had unsuccessfully attempted to calm him down, while Algheziwi threatened to “kill everyone there when he comes back.”

Algheziwi was subsequently charged with attempted aggravated theft, uttering insults and threats, being drunk in a public place, breaching previous bail conditions and relapsing.

One of the officers who carried out the arrest told the court that the man was not behaving normally and appeared to be drunk or under the influence of drugs. A discharge letter from Mount Carmel hospital was also found on his person.

The court, presided by Magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace, noted that there was no hard evidence to support the charges relating to public intoxication and recidivism, but found him guilty of the other offences.

He was sentenced to 20 days’ imprisonment for attempted theft and threats and an additional four months for breaching his bail conditions. His €15,000 bail guarantee was also confiscated.

Inspector Shamus Woods led the prosecution, while legal aid lawyer Leontine Calleja appeared for the defendant.