A magistrate granted bail yesterday to five members of the same family who are accused of breaking the arm of a policeman and beating up another at the end of a wedding reception.

Peter Camilleri, 56, his 21-year-old twin sons Jesrit Angel and Peter Paul, the father and brothers of the groom, their cousin Carren Camilleri, 31, and their uncle Joseph Medina, 46, all of Żabbar, were granted bail against a personal guarantee of €3,000 and a deposit of €300.

Bail was granted after Magistrate Audrey Demicoli heard the last of the more important witnesses who were at the scene of the crime.

Chris Scerri, a guest at the wedding reception at St Anna reception hall in Marsascala on September 24, testified that the fracas started as an argument between two women, one of whom was drunk. When one of the police officers intervened, Jesrit Angel Camilleri told the officer: “Don’t get involved you complete idiot”.

The officer tried to calm the accused down but the policeman saw the other four accused beating up his colleague and he walked over to stop the clash.

Mr Scerri said he could also recall Peter Paul Camilleri’s girlfriend, Jodie Sciberras, trying to pull her boyfriend off the police officer.

PC Jurgen Zerafa said he was on the ground as a number of men punched and kicked him. He said he managed to catch a glimpse of their faces and could identify them.

After the situation seemed to calm down and he was able to get up after other family members intervened, the two officers walked away but were suddenly hit from behind and ended up on the ground. His colleague, PC Frans Formosa, had his arm fractured.

Ms Sciberras gave a different version of events and denied that the men had hit the police. A confrontation between Ms Sciberras and Mr Scerri took place and she stood by what she said and was declared a hostile witness.

The case continues.

Police Inspector Fabian Fleri prosecuted.