Marsa man admits to causing damage, threatening police officers inside police lockup

Redeemer Cauchi, 25, from Marsa was accused of threatening and insulting two police officers in the course of their duties, damaging property belonging to the Government of Malta, failing to obey legitimate orders, breaching the peace and recidivism.

A protection order was also requested in favour of the officers concerned.

Prosecuting police inspector Kevin Pulis and Daryl Borg told Magistrate Leonard Caruana how Cauchi had been arrested earlier today on the strength of a warrant issued by a magistrate in connection with separate proceedings. 

Whilst in the police lockup, at around 11am, he had caused a commotion over a lighter, during which he had threatened the Sergeant and Constable who had been detailed with escorting him to court.

“He was hysterical, hitting his head on the wall and smashing a perspex window with his hand, injuring himself,” Pulis said.

Cauchi had caused between €70 and €80 worth of damage as a result of the incident, the court was told.

The magistrate asked the man whether he understood the charges. Cauchi replied that he did, adding that he was apologising for his actions.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri, assisting the accused, informed the court that their client was pleading guilty to the charges.

The court suspended the sitting for a few minutes to allow Cauchi to reconsider his guilty plea. When the sitting resumed, the accused confirmed his guilty plea.

This was not Cauchi’s first brush with the law. In 2019, he had been handed a suspended sentence after admitting to threatening his sister’s ex-boyfriend with a handgun which, the court was told, had not been loaded at the time.

In his submissions on punishment, Azzopardi asked the court to order a pre-sentencing report be drawn up, in order to address the factors which led to the young man’s actions and prevent them from happening again.

The court, in view of the man’s plea, found him guilty. It upheld the defence’s request for a pre-sentencing report.

The defence then asked that Cauchi be released on bail pending the completion of this report, which the prosecution did not object to. Inspector Pulis suggested that a curfew be imposed as one of the bail conditions.

Magistrate Caruana explained to the accused that once the report was received, he would impose punishment accordingly. Bail was not a carte blanche to do as he pleased, warned the magistrate.

The court upheld the request and granted the man bail, against a deposit of €500 and a personal guarantee of €3,000, also ordering him to sign a bail book every day and observe a curfew.

A protection order was also issued in favour of the two officers who Cauchi is accused of having assaulted.