Bottle-wielding Finn denied bail

A Finnish man has been remanded in custody after he pleaded not guilty to slashing a Maltese man across the face with a broken bottle in Paceville.

Tatu Antero Oksanen, 33, a tourist from Finland, appeared before Magistrate Gabriella Vella this afternoon in connection with an argument that took place last Sunday in St Julian’s, as a result of which a man was attacked and grievously injured.

Inspector Elton Taliana told the court that the accused was arrested after a chase early yesterday morning following an incident in which he allegedly tried to break into a parked car.

The victim, a 33-year-old Zabbar man, also the owner of the car, had seen Oksanen's attempts to open his vehicle and went to intervene. When challenged however, the accused retaliated by breaking a bottle of wine on the vehicle and slashing the victim’s face, suffering grievous injuries.

He added that during the incident, a bystander was also pushed onto his vehicle, causing damages.

The victim, who needed twelve stitches to his face, was wheeled into court, seated in a wheelchair and wearing an eyepatch.

It seems that Oksanen had not fared much better however, appearing in court sporting two black eyes. The police explained that the accused - alleged to have been intoxicated at the time - fell flat on his face whilst he was being chased by officers.

Oksanen pleaded not guilty. The prosecution opposed bail as no ID card or passport was recovered. The accused explained to the court that he had entered Malta “using his driving licence”.

Inspector Taliana also pointed out that Oksanen is accused of a grevious crime against the person of a civilian and that the nature of the charges do not merit bail.

Magistrate Vella decided that the accused should be remanded in custody, in view of the fact that there could be no guarantee that he would not abscond from the island.

Lawyer Benjamin Valenzia defended the accused. Lawyers Michael Scriha and Noella Scriha appeared in parte civile for the victim.