MaltaMedia.com

A number of men were charged on Friday on different accusations, raging from threatening family to illegally escaping Malta.

Carmelo Vella, a 45 year old man from St Paul’s Bay pleaded not guilty to insulting and slightly injuring GWU deputy general secretary Geitu Mercieca at Café Merisi in South Street, Valletta.

Mr Vella pleaded not guilty to other charges including relapsing and breaching the conditions of three previous releases. Veronique Dalli, the defence lawyer, stated that Mr Vella was fired without being given a reason and without any warning, after working for the same company for 25 years. Mr Vella, however, was remanded in custody.

A 17 year old man was denied bail on charges of 13 incidents of muggings and thefts.

The 17 year old from San Gwann pleaded not guilty, however Magistrate Silvio Meli took into consideration the gravity of the charges and that he had relapsed.

Sebastian Farrugia from Qormi was remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to attacking and robbing two elderly women to finance his drug problem.

Farrugia stole €30 and a pair of glasses as well as injured a 73 year old woman and stole €530 from a 65 year old woman.

When asked by the Magistrate Silvio Meli, Farrugia said that he was taking methadone and receiving counselling in order to get out of the drug problem.

Three men from Somalia and a man from Burkina Faso were jailed for six months for trying to flee from Malta with fake passports.

The men, ages ranging from 19 to 31 years old, were caught on Wednesday at the airport just as they were trying to leave Malta for Italy. The men had Italian passports with tampered identity and residence cards.

A 20 year old from Nigeria was jailed for three months after having escaped illegally. He pleaded guilty to fleeing Malta. Anthony Osaro Izagie was returned to Malta on Wednesday after being found in Belgium.

A 66 year old man from Hamrun was charged with harassing, offending and threatening his wife and daughter as well as four police officers.

Joseph Cauchi had a grave drinking problem and had already been ordered by the court to stop drinking.

Mr Cauchi threatened his wife and daughter with murder and told the police officers who arrested him that he would put a bomb inside the station and run over them and their families.

Mr Cauchi, who was not represented by a lawyer, was remanded in custody since magistrate Silvio Meli maintained that the man was not able to look after himself.

Husan Faiz l Lafy, a 28 year old man from Egypt pleaded guilty for holding up a man in a block of flats in St Julian’s, stealing money, a digital camera and a passport. He also pleaded guilty to carrying a knife without permission and also to stealing three laptops and two mobile phones.

The man was jailed for three years, while the police officer who charged him was fined €200 for wasting the time of the court.

The police officer had not included the article numbers of the laws that l Lafy was being charged under.