Court upholds arrest of youth accused of car vandalism in St Julian’s

A court has upheld the arrest of a youth, whose identity is protected by a court order, on charges of damaging a car in St Julian’s.

The case began with an incident on 5 November at around 1:45am, when a call was received by the St Julian’s police station. The caller reported witnessing four youths jumping on a car and damaging it on Triq il-Baħar l-Iswed, in St Julian’s. The caller identified the accused among those involved, as well as another person recording the accused’s actions.

Later that morning, at around 11am, the inspector overseeing the case requested an arrest warrant for the accused. At 5:50pm the same day, the accused voluntarily went to the St Julian’s police station, where the inspector was present.

As the accused had previously been reported missing, he was taken to Mater Dei Hospital for assessment, where social workers were also called to assist. Following this, he was transferred to Mount Carmel Hospital to receive treatment.

On 6 November at 8:30am, the inspector was informed by a doctor that the accused had been discharged from Mount Carmel. The inspector then requested an official arrest warrant, which was issued at around 9:15am.

Approximately five minutes later, at 9:20am, the inspector was notified by a doctor at Mount Carmel that the accused had already left the hospital.

On 7 November, the accused presented himself at the police station in Bormla, where he was informed of the reason for his arrest and provided with a list of his rights.

During the court proceedings, the defence questioned the validity of the arrest. The defence raised concerns about the inspector’s recollection of events, suggesting that the accused might not have been adequately informed of the reasons for his arrest as required by law. 

When asked how many police officers accompanied the accused to the hospital, the inspector could not give a specific answer. However, the inspector confirmed that a detainee book had been kept as a record to ensure legal procedures were followed.

The court reviewed the case and concluded that the inspector and other involved officials had fulfilled their responsibilities in arresting and handling the accused.

After considering the defence's request for the accused’s release, the court presided by Magistrate Joseph Gatt upheld the arrest. The prosecution argued against releasing the accused, citing concerns that his lack of employment might lead the accused to fall back to his criminal tendencies. Although the court acknowledged the circumstances that led to the case, it ultimately rejected the request for the accused’s release.

The prosecution was led by Inspector Jean-Claude Mangion and lawyer Giuliana Magro Conti, while the accused was represented by lawyers Mario Mifsud and Nicholas Mifsud.