UK-born Maltese man accused of damaging taxi

Admitting it was not within his legal rights, defence lawyer Joseph Arrigo asked for a ban on the name of the accused after the court heard that a co-accused suffers from a medical issue.

The court was hearing the case of a Maltese man who was born in the United Kingdom. Sitting in the dock, with a balck-eye, the man alleged he had been circled and beaten up by a group of people.

Inspector Luke Bonello, said the accused and his partner caused damages to a taxi and refused to give their details to the police. During the disagreement, the man's partner allegedly punched a police officer. She is expected to be arraigned in the coming days.

Defence lawyer Joseph Arrigo pleaded for bail stating that the accused had no previous issues with the police. The lawyer also asked for the names of the accused and his partner to be banned as the partner has a medical problem. Dr Arrigo told the court he knew this was beyond his legal right but the prosecution did not object to his request.

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras upheld the ban and granted the man bail against a personal guarantee of €2,000. She also ordered that the accused is examined by a medical court expert.