Mount Carmel patient denies assault, harassment charges

A Mount Carmel patient was remanded in custody by Magistrate Audrey Demicoli after he was charged with attacking a nurse and harassing his ex-wife.

The 37-year-old man was accused of attacking and slightly injuring a nurse and smashing his glasses at the psychiatric hospital on 22 October.

The patient was also charged with harassing his estranged wife, misuse of telecommunications equipment, insulting and threatening her.

The accused had apparently voluntarily admitted himself into the hosptial and had been residing there for the past month or so before last Monday’s incident.
Following that episode and in the preceding days, the man had allegedly made threatening phone calls to his partner, prompting her to file a domestic violence report to the police.

Lawyer Charmaine Cherrett, appearing for the accused, entered a not guilty plea. Bail was not requested, but the defence requested that he be held at the forensic unit of Mount Carmel Hospital.

Inspector Roderick Spiteri prosecuted.