A German birdwatcher yesterday told a court how he was hit in the face by a man who insisted the police should have been present during a search for dead protected birds.
Axel Hirsehfeld, media officer of the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (Cabs), a German conservation group, said the man was “very angry”, swore at him and hit him on his left cheek.
“This is the first time in the history of Cabs we had to hire a security company while out on a mission... It was a security officer who intervened to calm the situation,” Mr Hirsehfeld said.
He was testifying before Magistrate Anthony Vella against his alleged aggressor, David Briffa, a council member of the Federation for Hunting and Conservation – FKNK.
Mr Briffa, 48 of Siġġiewi, pleaded not guilty to assaulting Mr Hirsehfeld, hitting him in the face and breaching the peace at Miżieb, limits of Mellieħa, on Monday at about 1 p.m.
The alleged incident took place just before a joint press conference by Cabs and BirdLife Malta to protest the lack of police investigations into bird killings. The team said they found over 80 protected birds in the woodland during their search for dead protected birds.
As Mr Briffa sat in the dock, members of the FKNK council lined the only bench behind him as members of Cabs and BirdLife stood by the wall inside the court room.
Mr Hirsehfeld said that, at about 1.15 p.m., team members gathered at the car park in Miżieb after their search.
He saw Mr Briffa argue with a BirdLife member because he was angry that the search was not carried out in the presence of the police.
However, the witness argued, the police and independent foreign journalists were in fact present during the mission.
“The man swore against Germany... he was shouting and then he hit me,” he said, pointing to his left cheek.
He added that someone filmed what was happening and he would present a copy of the DVD to the court tomorrow when the rest of the witnesses will be heard.
Mr Briffa was arraigned under arrest but his lawyer, Arthur Azzopardi, contested the validity of the arrest.
Magistrate Vella ruled the arrest illegal because the alleged breach was a contravention and, therefore, did not warrant charging someone under arrest. Police Inspector Paul Bond said Mr Briffa had admitted in a statement he tried to take the birdwatcher’s camera because he had asked Mr Hirsehfeld to stop taking photos of him earlier. Mr Briffa also said he accidentally hit Mr Hirsehfeld in the face as he tried to take the camera.
Mr Briffa had been charged with threatening journalist Julia Farrugia during an FKNK demonstration in Valletta in March 2007. He was acquitted of the charge after Ms Farrugia and two other witnesses for the prosecution did not turn up to testify. The appeal court confirmed the decision after noting the police had failed to exhibit copies of the summons proving that the witnesses had actually been asked to appear in court.