Policemen accused of injuring man - officers give different version

Two police constables were today accused of slightly injuring a man at St Julian's police station, while a police sergeant was accused of being an accomplice.

Constables Oliver Micallef and Robert Mario Spiteri were accused of injuring Trevor Ciangura, while Sergeant Joseph Pace was accused in the incident which took place on March 30, 2009.

The court was told how Mr Ciangura had gone to St Julians together with his friend Isaac Zammit Cordina.

Mr Ciangura entered Ryan's pub while his friend went to McDonalds.

Mr Ciangura told the court said that while he was in the pub, two policemen came up holding his friend Isaac. It resulted that somebody had punched his friend in the face.

Mr Ciangura left the pub and saw a group at a nearby roundabout whom Isaac identified as the aggressors.

Mr Ciangura said he chased them, then jumped into his car to cut them off. They started throwing bottles at him but he managed to grab one of them and marched him off to the police station.

When they arrived near the poice station, the two accused constables were just outside the door.

Mr Ciangura said that for no reason at all one of the constables grabbed him by the neck while the other grabbed him by the arm and took him inside.

He alleged that one of the officers pushed him and he fell on the floor, where he was kicked and hit. Mr Ciangura said he was then taken into a cell and he started banging on the door, asking to be taken to hospital.

He later called his brother, who was a policeman, who came to the police station and then officers released him.

Police officers who also took the witness stand gave a different version of events. Among them was Sergeant Maria Scicluna, who said that she was in the police station at the time of the incident. At one time, Isaac Zammit Cordina, accompanied by Mr Ciangura, reported to the police that he had been punched in the face.

About 90 minutes later Mr Ciangura returned in his car, driving at excessive speed. He got out of the car, and violently grabbed hold of another person, shouting at them. When the police intervened he started shouting at them and they arrested them.

While inside the station, Mr Ciangura pushed PC Oliver Micallef, who in a reflex action pushed back. Mr Ciangura tripped on a bench and fell backwards, but quickly got up again.

He was then placed in a cell and started very violently banging his body against the cell door, - to the extent that the door had to be padlocked to prevent it opening.

The sergeant said that his brother then arrived and he asked them what he had done ‘once again'.

Mr Ciangura then calmed down dramatically and apologised, which was why no further action was taken agaisnt him, the Sergeant said.

Sentence will be delivered tomorrow.