Man denies arson, breaching €20,000 bail after Zabbar house fire

A 21-year-old man appears twice before the duty magistrate to answer for separate criminal charges

10 June 2019, 4:06pm
by Matthew Agius

1 min read

A man appeared twice in front of the same magistrate on separate criminal charges

Magistrate Ian Farrugia presided two arraignments of the same suspect this morning as a man was charged with separate crimes relating to arson and recidivism.

Damian Cesare, 21, was charged with arson by Police Inspector Oriana Spiteri, after a blaze which struck a residence in Triq Villabate, Zabbar during the night of 1 June, this year.

Cesare, who told the court he has no fixed address, was also charged with criminal damage and breaching a suspended sentence from May 2018, whilst under a probation order dating back to 2016.

In a separate sitting this morning, Police Inspector Joanna Piscopo also charged Cesare with breaching bail which he had been granted in February 2018. The court was asked to seize the man’s €20,000 personal guarantee, which secured his bail.

In both arraignments, Cesare’s lawyer Joe Brincat entered a plea of not guilty. Bail was not requested at this stage and the man was remanded in custody.

Matthew Agius is Senior Reporter on Law and Court Affairs at MaltaToday. He is also a Leg...