Man who injured policeman on Wednesday has psychiatric condition, court is told

Inspector tells court that, during his assessment, the accused had scared a doctor at Mount Carmel Hospital to such an extent that she had declared him fit to return to society and released him within 24 hours

A man who injured a police officer during his arrest at a restaurant on Wednesday had previously been released from Mount Carmel just 24 hours after being admitted, a court has been told.

Inspector Trevor Micallef arraigned the Maltese man, who has no fixed address, on charges of violently resisting arrest, reviling and threatening a public servant, disobeying legitimate police orders, giving false particulars to police, public drunkenness, possession of cannabis and relapsing. 

The police inspector told Magistrate Monica Vella that staff at the restaurant had called the police after the man had appeared dazed and unresponsive. When police arrived the accused had attacked them, slightly injuring one of the officers, he said.

Defence lawyer, Leontine Calleja argued that the police report had been made just because he had been staring, blankly. “He was non responsive. When the police arrived, he was overwhelmed and didn't understand what was happening.”

When Calleja argued that the accused was suffering from an unspecified psychiatric condition, Inspector Micallef was quick to add that he had previously been declared fit to rejoin the general public by Mount Carmel Hospital within 24 hours of his admission there. The man had stunk of alcohol during his arrest, he added.

The lawyer entered a plea of not guilty on the accused's behalf.

During his assessment, the accused had scared a doctor at Mount Carmel Hospital to such an extent that she had declared him fit to return to society and released him within 24 hours, the Inspector said in reply to the defence's request that he be held there.

The court, in ruling on the request for bail, observed that this was the third time that the accused was being charged for such offences. “Despite being given every opportunity to correct his behaviour,” the magistrate said, “he has failed to do so.”

“The accused does not appear to be trustworthy,” noted the magistrate.

Because of this, as well as the fact that the accused had no fixed address, the court denied the man bail and ordered that he be remanded in custody.