Father, son jailed for assault on police

A man was yesterday jailed for eight months and his son for six months for assaulting and slightly injuring police officers.

Carmel Dimech, 47, and his 24-year-old son Ludwig were found guilty of threatening and assaulting two police inspectors, a sergeant and two constables and slightly injuring one of the inspectors and the sergeant in Zebbug, on July 19, 2004.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera heard how, at the time, the police were investigating an Arab man and learnt that he had been residing with Carmel Dimech. When they went to speak to Mr Dimech, his son told them he was not in. But when the police noticed that Carmel Dimech was there, he (Carmel Dimech) assaulted an inspector. A sergeant intervened and was assaulted by the son.

On handing down judgment the magistrate noted that Carmel Dimech had 36 previous convictions on his criminal record while his son had eight.

It seemed that they did not want to learn from their past so, the magistrate ruled, perhaps jailing them would teach them how to behave in a democratic society. Police Superintendent Carmelo Magro and Inspector Pierre Micallef Grimaud prosecuted.