Fear of contracting shingles led to prison assault, court hears

Inmate feared contracting shingles from sick prisoner in his division

An inmate who punched a prison warder in the face and spat at him has apologised to his victim today after the court heard his lawyer explain that the incident was caused by prison warders ignoring complaints about sharing the division with a prisoner suffering from shingles.

Three prison warders, including assault victim Alexander Desira, testified this morning as magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit presided over the compilation of evidence against 29 year-old Sylvester James, from Marsa.

James is pleading insanity to charges of assaulting Desira, causing him slight injuries, as well as threatening and insulting 11 prison warders who had intervened to restore order, disobeying their orders and attempting to prevent them from carrying out their duties in an incident which took place on the 12th June.

He is also charged with making unfounded accusations in the correctional officers' regard and knowingly filing a false police report.

The accused is currently being held at the Forensic Unit at Mount Carmel Psychiatric Hospital. 

The court heard how James, his father and the sick prisoner had all been in a division of Corradino Correctional Facility known as “the single-room”. The warder said that the sick prisoner was not leaving his cell. Desira told the court that several inmates had demanded to be moved elsewhere, but that the most vocal had been the accused’s father, who was eventually escorted to another division as he was creating a disturbance.

At that point, James had asked the warder whether he was going to report his father and get him into trouble. Desira said he had replied that he was “only doing his job” but the next thing he knew, James had swung a punch at him, hitting him squarely in the face.

Witnesses painted a picture of an inmate whose behaviour was, more often than not, far from civil. One prison warder testified to have been spat at by James while retrieving a shoe for the accused. He said James had been involved in many fights in prison.

A third correctional officer told the court how, on one occasion, James had told him that “he didn't give a f*** and wasn't scared of any of them”, before spitting at several officers. He made it a point to add that he had never had any trouble with the accused before then, however.

James is better known by his nickname, “il-Bomba”, - a moniker he shares with his father, who has tattooed it on his forehead and earned by his reputation of having a short fuse. 

While testifying last June during proceedings against a fellow inmate, he had been found in contempt of court twice in one sitting, famously replying to an inspector who had rebuked and reminded him that he was addressing a magistrate by saying “what do I care? And I am il-Bomba.”

During this morning's sitting, James’ lawyer Noel Bianco told magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit that on the day, his client had complained because another inmate had contracted shingles and that they didn't want to share the space with him as it was contagious.

A somewhat subdued, almost apologetic James thanked the magistrate before leaving the courtroom. The case continues on the 22nd September.

Police Inspector Hubert Cini is prosecuting.