A Sliema man was today charged with vandalising the facade of a house in his hometown in June.

He was accused of vandalising the facade after the owners of the house demanded that he pays for a cane curtain he damaged while working on a house next door. 

Joseph Grech, 46, is denying throwing paint at the house on three occasions in June, causing more than €2,100 in damage. 

Magistrate Aaron Bugeja heard Police Inspector Jonathan Ransley explain how Charles Azzopardi reported the vandalism to the police on June 13 when his mother found black paint sprayed on the facade of her house in Depiro Street.

On June 23, he went back to the police station after black paint was thrown at the facade. A week later, the family found blue paint on the front door, window and louvers. 

On the last occasion, the Azzopardi family found a bucket with blue paint on the pavement. It had a sticker with the accused's name on it. 

Some time later, Mr Grech was seen walking close to the Sliema police station wearing clothes stained with blue paint. 

He was arrested and during questioning admitted that he had committed the vandalism.

He explained that a few weeks before, while he was carrying out renovation work on the house next door, he had dropped a roller in the Azzopardis' yard and had damaged a cane curtain (hasira) for which they wanted €30.

He told the police that every time he remembered what he had to pay for the curtain, he would grab paint and go throw it at their facade. 

Mr Azzopardi told the court that his elderly mother, Sheila, who lived in that house, was not sleeping well at night out of fear and the family had also resorted to installing a CCTV system to nab the vandal. The family also found that someone had urinated against the front door. 

The case continues. 

Lawyers Franco Debono and Angie Muscat appeared for the accused.