Man charged with threatening and insulting local tribunal chairperson, Police union chief

A magistrate has granted a conditional discharge to a man who admitted to causing a disturbance at a sitting of the San Gwann Local Tribunal earlier this month.

The man who by order of the court, cannot be named, was arrested on 3 March at the request of tribunal chairperson Lynn Zahra, after the accused attempted to attack her during a traffic sitting.

Before Magistrate Charmaine Galea, Inspectors Mark Mercieca and Matthew Spagnol charged the man with threatening and insulting the Tribunal’s Chairperson and two police officers in the course of their duties, disobeying legitimate police orders, threatening officials and a lawyer, breaching the peace and using obscene language in public.

The man was further accused of another incident, which took place the next day at the GWU headquarters in Valletta. On that occasion, he had threatened the president of the police Inspector Sandro Camilleri in the course of his duties and ignored his instructions.

On 7 March, the man had also harassed Zahra and caused her to fear that violence would be used against her.

The accused is currently facing separate criminal proceedings where he is charged with harassing a woman over a 19-year period and falsely accusing her of having defiled him.

After the last sitting of that case, police had to intervene when the man started ranting at a journalist outside the courtroom. Prior to this incident, he is understood to have approached a journalist from the Times and threatened to demolish the newspaper’s offices with a mechanical shovel.

His confrontational behaviour was entirely absent in this sitting, however.

Defence lawyers Michael and Lucio Sciriha requested the court order that their client receive psychological assistance, also requesting the court order a ban on the publication of the name of the accused

The prosecution and defence approached the bench to discuss the case at length, out of earshot of the national press.

Psychiatrist Mark Xuereb testified that he had worked with the accused at Mount Carmel, describing the accused as a well educated man, with a good family background and a very creative mind.

“He has strong opinions,” added the doctor, “he is well read and likes to debate about many things. He is also beginning to understand that there is a time and a place to speak and where not to speak. He has accepted to have legal counsel express his views today and also understands that he, too,  has obligations.”

Xuereb promised the court that whilst under his care the accused will be “going through a journey of refinement, in order to channel his arguments through  the right framework.”

“He understands that this is not a game or a debating society. This is reality. He will still retain his assertiveness...no unilateral decisions...I will audit his progress and together with another professional and bring any red lights to the attention of the court.”

On his lawyer’s suggestion, the accused apologised for his actions at the tribunal.

“Here we do not have a man with criminal intentions,” Sciriha argued, “but one who has a very highly active and refined brain, which could lead him to make certain mistakes or actions which are not in conformity with societal norms. He is a highly intelligent person.”

The lawyer asked the court to place the man under a treatment order for the good of his client and in view of his early apology.

As the accused had admitted to the charges, Magistrate Galea found him guilty and handed him a conditional discharge for three years, together with a €1200 fine. At the request of the defence, he was allowed to pay the fine in 40 monthly installments.

A three-year treatment order was also imposed on the man and protection orders were issued in favour of Zahra and Insp.Camilleri.

The court banned the publication of the name of the accused due to "the particular circumstances of the case."