A 20-year-old woman was charged today with biting the arm of a police constable who turned up at her house to assist her after she claimed to have been beaten by her partner on Sunday.

The woman, from Msida, pleaded guilty to assaulting and injuring the woman police constable, disobeying police orders, breaching the peace and relapsing.

Police Inspector Jason Francis Sultana told Magistrate Josette Demicoli that the woman, who lives with her partner in Msida, often called the Sliema police station and claimed to be beaten by her boyfriend - a foreigner. Whenever police went on site she dropped the charges.

Two days ago she, once again, phoned the station and claimed to have been beaten. But when police arrived and asked her to get into the police car to drive her away from her home she refused and bit the police constable. She later withdrew her claims against her partner - that included that he forced her to sleep with his friends for money.

The woman apologised for her actions and Magistrate Demicoli asked the Director of probation services to establish whether she was fit for community work. She  postponed the case for judgement.

Meanwhile the woman was granted bail against a personal guarantee of €3,500 and will be living with her mother in Qormi.

Lawyer Joseph Mizzi represented the woman.