A senior financial adviser who was arrested for suspected drink driving on Saturday evening and who allegedly bit the skin off a policeman’s arm yesterday claimed he had been beaten by the police.

A request by his defence lawyers to photograph the police car in which the alleged incident took place could not be entertained as the police have since washed the vehicle’s interior and wiped out all the evidence, the court heard.

David-John Calleja, 30, from Ta’ Xbiex, was stopped by police in Tigné after he was seen driving recklessly and overtaking a number of cars, according to a police statement issued on Sunday. It alleged he was aggressive, spat blood at three officers and bit a constable after trying to escape from the car.

Yesterday Mr Calleja pleaded not guilty to 17 charges including drink driving, slightly injuring a police officer, disobeying police orders, refusing a breathalyser test, driving while drunk and in a dangerous and negligent manner and failing to give the police his details.

I expect the police to investigate this claim

Other charges include spitting, excreting or vomiting in a public place, throwing water or dirt at two police officers, damaging their uniforms and breaching the peace.

His lawyers, Robert Abela and Albert Zerafa, claimed PC Kevin Decelis elbowed Mr Calleja and fractured his nose. They claimed the prosecuting officer [Inspector Jason Sultana] refused to include this in their client’s statement and told Mr Calleja: “Had you not had sheep interrogating you, I would have broken more than your nose.”

They asked Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia to exhibit Constable Calleja’s blood-stained clothes.

Inspector Sultana objected but then withdrew the objection when Dr Abela accused the prosecution of trying to cover up a crime.

“You already destroyed evidence by cleaning the car. Do you want to destroy any more?” Dr Abela said.

Upon a request by the defence, the court appointed an ENT consultant to examine the accused.

‘No tolerance’ of violence on police

Inspector Sultana said the prosecution was objecting to bail and felt the court ought to get the message across that violence towards police officers should not be tolerated.

He also said that the broken nose was “self-inflicted” when the accused banged his face against the window of the police car door.

Dr Abela shot back that the beating was something reminiscent of the 1980s. He said the spatters of blood on the shirt of an officer, seen in a photograph released by the police on Sunday, was his client’s blood after he had been beaten up.

“I expect the police to investigate this claim and not pretend not to have heard it. I also expect the Acting Police Commissioner, who was quick to issue a statement on the matter, to investigate the claim and suspend and prosecute the officer who inflicted serious injuries on my client,” he said, adding Mr Calleja had ended a relationship and had had a drink or two.

Magistrate Farrugia granted Mr Calleja bail against a personal guarantee of €10,000.