Broken arm after pipe row

A young man hit an off-duty policeman with a metal pipe in a scuffle and broke his arm, a court heard yesterday.

Magistrate Anthony Vella heard how Johann Gauci, 21, from Dingli, was in the driveway of his house on Saturday evening when he got involved in a loud argument with his parents about a mobile phone.

The policeman, a neighbour, heard the commotion and went over to see what was happening.

There was a brief scuffle during which the defendant’s mother ended up on the floor.

Mr Gauci then allegedly grabbed a metal pipe and hit the policeman with it, fracturing his arm, the court was told.

Mr Gauci was granted bail against a deposit of €800 and a personal guarantee of €2,000 after Magistrate Vella ignored a plea from his lawyer to reduce the deposit because his client could not afford it.

Police Inspector Sarah Magri prosecuted while lawyer Toni Abela appeared for the accused.