A 77-year-old man whose two passports and identity card were seized by the courts in a case where he stands accused of threatening a police inspector and scratching a neighbour’s car is claiming breach of human rights.

The documents were confiscated as part of standard bail procedures whereby travel documents pertaining to an accused are deposited in court to prevent the person from leaving the island.

Giovanni Caruana, who lived in the UK for 40 years before retiring in Malta, filed a judicial protest arguing, through his lawyer Emmy Bezzina, that there was no need for him to be banned from travelling when there were other measures, such as a European Arrest Warrant, to ensure he did not escape justice.

Dr Bezzina said that because of the court action, his client, who did not have a criminal record, could not visit his family in the UK for the past seven months.