Student charged with injuring bystander after Paceville fight

Tonio Grixti, 22, of Valletta was granted bail after pleading not guilty to slightly injuring another person during a brawl at Havana Club in Paceville.

Early this morning, Grixti was inside the club when a fight broke out. Allegedly the accused started hurling glasses when a bystander, Robert Norman Cauchi was hit.

Medical checks revealed Cauchi suffered slight injuries. During his arrest, the accused threatened and challenged police officers to fight him. He also broke the door of a cell in St Julian’s police station.

Defence lawyer Vincent Micallef demanded bail, arguing this was a right of the accused, who was also ready to pay for the damages.

“This was not a street fight between two people but a bar fight involving a number of patrons,” the lawyer said, asking the court to keep things in perspective.

Inspector Trevor Micallef objected to the bail request, stating the incident happened on a Tuesday night when Paceville was half empty. “We have to clamp down such behaviour or it will escalate into a glass-hurling jungle,” the prosecution said.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri-Herrera granted bail to the accused against a deposit of €500 and a personal guarantee of €1,500.