Woman 'unable to recall' drunken assault on police officer in Paceville

A woman ended up in court this morning, accused of assaulting a policewoman after a drunken night out in Paceville.

Saida Agius Idy, 42, from St. Paul’s Bay, was arraigned before magistrate Victor Axiak, accused of violently resisting arrest, insulting a public officer in the line of duty, slightly injuring a female police officer, breaching the peace and disobeying legitimate police orders. She was also accused of carrying a knife in public without a permit.

The court heard Inspector Leeroy Balzan Engerer explain how the intoxicated woman had originally been detained after an incident at Footloose in Paceville. But whilst being driven to the police station in a police van, she had lost her balance and fallen backwards. An accompanying police officer had held her to stop her from falling, but when the woman felt the officer touch her, she had kicked the policewoman, slightly injuring her leg.

Inspector Balzan Engerer also told the court that the woman had been carrying a knife in her handbag, but had not used it in the incident. "I was using it to eat an apple!" exclaimed the woman, before being ordered not to speak out of turn.

Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi, appearing for Agius Idy, entered a plea of not guilty and requested bail, pointing out that the incident had been caught on CCTV and the only witnesses were public officers.

The policewoman concerned had already released a statement, he said.

“It is a serious case, we cannot hide this fact, but bail should be granted in the circumstances,” argued the lawyer.

Inspector Balzan Engerer submitted that the woman’s statement did not tally with the CCTV footage. “I don't want to give the impression that it's OK to assault a policeman.” She had not calmed down when handcuffed in the police van, he added.

Azzopardi told the court that the woman had been so drunk that she could not even remember the incident, in which she had also injured herself. “She was under the influence of alcohol at the time. It’s a Dr Jekyll and Mrs, Hyde case,” he said, adding that the woman needed help to address her alcohol problem.

Magistrate Axiak imposed a four-year Protection Order in favour of the officer Agius Idy allegedly injured and granted the woman bail "in the particular circumstances of the case."

As part of her bail conditions, Agius Idy was ordered to sign a bail book twice weekly and observe a curfew. Bail was secured against a deposit of €1,000 and a personal guarantee of €4,000.