Police to request court action on leak of Ħamrun bodycam evidence

The Malta police said it will file a complaint to the Courts of Law over a leak of evidence in the form of a police officer’s bodycam footage, when he was assaulted in Ħamrun while giving out a traffic contravention.

The police force said the leak of the bodycam footage, published by Lovin Malta, was a 3-minute excerpt of the overall 23-minute footage, saying it did not broadcast the extent of the assault on the two police officers.

“According to Article 518 of the Criminal Code, this footage could not be broadcast or shared,” the police force said.

Five individuals, including two restaurant owners, are charged with the assault of the two officers. The defendants are 46-year-old restaurant owner Elton Anthony Borg, 44-year-old Kurt Borg, also a restaurant owner, both from Ħamrun; 42-year-old Erica Borg, a housewife from Msida; 23-year-old Redeimen Aquilina from Ħamrun; and 33-year-old Christian Mansueto from Siġġiewi. All five defendants pleaded not guilty and requested bail, which was refused.

The altercation began when two officers approached a group that included the accused while issuing parking fines on Triq il-Kbira, San Ġużepp, in Ħamrun. According to the prosecution, the defendants were “agitated and arrogant” when confronted by the police. 

Borg grabbed one of the officers by the hand, and when ordered to stop, he stepped on the officer’s foot. When police attempted to separate the individuals, both Kurt and Elton Borg resisted violently, prompting the officers to try to arrest them to control the situation.

The situation escalated quickly as more individuals arrived at the scene, with the crowd becoming increasingly hostile towards the officers. Police used a taser gun and pepper spray to regain control while ordering the crowd to disperse.

Footage from a police bodycam was presented in court, showing the initial altercation and the events that followed.