A truck driver who, a week ago, was remanded in custody after being branded ‘a dangerous man’ by the court, was today granted bail by the same magistrate, who said he was seeking a balance between the man’s right to freedom and the safety of road users.

Marius Camilleri, 57, has a criminal history spanning 23 years, including multiple convictions in relation to traffic offences. He stood in the dock as proceedings got underway this afternoon, with Magistrate Grazio Mercieca first turning down a challenge to refrain from presiding over the proceedings.

Defence lawyer Leslie Cuschieri had filed an application in this sense following the comments made by the Magistrate in open court and reported in the media during last week’s sitting.

The defence argued that Magistrate Mercieca should refrain from hearing the case since his statement branding the accused ‘a dangerous man’ effectively meant that the court had expressed itself on the merits.

However, the magistrate turned down the application, declaring that there existed no ground for such a challenge.

Turning to the second issue, namely the fresh application for bail, Magistrate Mercieca declared “I am willing to grant bail however, this will be under the strict condition of a €10,000 deposit since I have to strike a balance between your right to liberty and the right of every person to go out on the streets in full safety,”  he said..

For this reason, the court delivered a decree upholding the request for bail against a deposit of €10,000, a personal guarantee of €10,000 and a curfew between 7pm and 60am.

The court further imposed an obligation to sign the bail book on a daily basis and prohibited the truck driver from driving any vehicle whatsoever.

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The defence declared that it was not contesting the authenticity of the videos allegedly capturing the dangerous manoeuvres of the driver, although it had raised doubt about whether the vehicle shown in one video actually belonged to the accused.

Prosecuting officer Inspector Sergio Pisani replied that the vehicle in question had certain particular features, such as a bent bumper, which made it easily identifiable.

The prosecution also informed the court that the accused’s insurance policy had been cancelled by the insurance company pending his arrest since the original form had been submitted fraudulently.

The case continues in February.

Inspector Sergio Pisani prosecuted.

Lawyer Leslie Cuschieri was defence counsel.