Man denied bail after allegedly setting fire to four cars and breaching bail

A man was remanded in custody after being charged with a plethora of offences, including aggravated theft, receiving or purchasing a stolen motorcycle, voluntary damage to property and money laundering.

Jurgen Cassar, a 39-year-old man from Qormi, was also charged with setting fire to four cars, breaching bail conditions and recidivism.

The accused pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Inspector Shawn Pawney told the court about an arson attack involving four cars that had taken place during the early hours of 1 March.

Through analysis of CCTV footage, the police managed to identify a motorcycle used in the attack, which motorcycle, it was revealed, had also been stolen around one month ago.

The accused was subsequently arrested, with the validity of said arrest not being contested.

A request for bail was made, with lawyer Matthew Xuereb noting that Cassar, who currently resides with his mother, was ready to abide by any conditions imposed by the Court.

The prosecution objected, with lawyer Brendan Hewer noting that the accused was facing a ‘hotchpotch of serious charges’ and that civilian witnesses were yet to testify.

The bail request was ultimately denied.

The court was presided over by Magistrate Joseph Gatt. 

The prosecution was led by Inspectors Shawn Pawney and Elisia Scicluna with the assistance of lawyer Brendan Hewer from the Office of the Attorney General.

Defence lawyer Matthew Xuereb appeared for the accused.