Accused of assaulting five police officers

Jamal Badawi was yesterday charged with threatening a police inspector, a sergeant and six constables and seriously injuring one of the constables at the St Julian's police station seven months ago.

Badawi, 22, of Greek origin, was also charged with assaulting a police sergeant and four constables, accusing them of committing a crime when he knew them to be innocent and lying under oath on May 17.

He was further charged with disobeying the police, causing over Lm50 damage to a police car, hurling hard objects, uttering obscene words in public while drunk and breaching the peace.

Badawi's lawyer, Roberto Montalto, yesterday asked Inspector Martin Sammut, prosecuting, to justify the legality of Badawi's arrest.

The inspector explained that Badawi had given the police various addresses and there was the risk that if he was summoned through a citation the summons would not be delivered to him and the police would not be able to trace him.

The inspector said that although Badawi was currently detained in preventive custody in connection with another case, there was no guarantee that he would not be granted bail by the time the summons would be delivered. Therefore, although Badawi was currently detained and his location known to the police, one could not be certain as to what could happen in the future.

After hearing legal arguments made by the defence and the prosecution, Magistrate Miriam Hayman ruled that, in light of the fact that Badawi was in preventive custody and, therefore, could be traced easily, she believed there was no reason to arraign him under arrest.

The magistrate bound Badawi to attend court sittings against a personal guarantee of Lm800.