The police were yesterday accused of inventing a crime and charging an innocent man with inciting racial hatred only because he tried to report an officer for aggressive behaviour.
Lawyer Stefano Filletti made the claim after his client, 42-year-old Keith Marshall, was accused of threatening a police inspector and inciting racial hatred.
Dr Filletti argued that the police themselves had committed an offence in this case when they charged his client with something that did not happen. Mr Marshall was acquitted yesterday by Magistrate Francesco Depasquale on grounds that the charge of threatening an officer was time-barred and that the policeman did not turn up to testify.
The Police Commissioner told The Times yesterday he needed time to establish the facts before deciding whether to order an investigation into the matter.
The Times also asked why the police had dragged their feet on this case to the point that the charges became time barred. Again, the Police Commissioner insisted that he needed time to look into the case.
Mr Marshall insists he became the victim of trumped up charges rejecting particularly the idea that he could be accused of racial hatred.
The young entrepreneur is involved in fundraising in aid of children in Ethiopia.
He said that the case, which goes back to September 8, started with him calling the police to remove a car that had been parked in front of his garage.
Mr Marshal said that, despite being promised repeatedly by officers from the St Julians police station that a tow truck was on its way, a police car only turned up at 4 p.m. with three officers in it.
One got out, Mr Marshall recalled, approached the garage and, in an aggressive tone, ordered him to open it so he could have a look inside. Mr Marshall said he did what he was asked to do but sarcastically added that he was not aware that the law allowed someone to park in front of a garage as long as there were no vehicles inside.
After seeing Mr Marshall’s car inside, the officer called in a tow truck and had the vehicle parked outside removed.
After they left, he called the police station and asked for the officer’s name to report him for being aggressive but he eventually decided to let the whole thing go.
Then, suddenly and without warning, he received a court summons last week.
Mr Marshall said he was baffled how the charge sheet bore the date of November 2011 and he only received the summons last week, which meant having to put everything he was planning, such as fundraisers, on hold until he sorted the whole thing out.
People should be given enough time to prepare their own defence, he said.
“The legal system has completely let me down. I always believed in the law and that the law ultimately will see you through but it doesn’t see you through at all.
“The officer got away scot free and the case was thrown out in a heartbeat . . . and although I was acquitted this guy did not even bother to turn up”, he said adding that “from the aggrieved I ended up being painted as the aggressor”.