A police officer who ordered a motorist to remove his double-parked car along the Gżira front twice ended up being attacked and thrown off his motorbike following a car chase which started when he was about to issue a parking ticket, a court heard today.

Carlo Stivala, 34, who works as a manager with a private firm, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

However, seconds after Magistrate Francesco Depasquale denied bail, he had a change of heart and informed his lawyer, Kathleen Grima, that he was filing an admission.

But the magistrate refused to re-start the proceedings, meaning the defendant would have to file a guilty plea when the case starts being heard before another court in the coming days. 

The incident happened yesterday shortly before 6pm in front of the Sliema Hotel.

Sources said the man had already been warned to move his vehicle but when he was spotted in the same place for a second time some 20 minutes later by the same officer, he sped away forcing the policemen to chase him all the way to Għar id-Dud. The incident had been captured on CCTV, according to sources.

While the prosecution said the accused drove straight into the officer, throwing him off his bike, the defence insisted that the officer injured himself when putting the bike on its stand.

The man was charged with reviling and resisting the police, slight injuring an officer, damaging a police bike and relapsing. Police inspector Sergio Pisani prosecuted.

In view of the seriousness of the charges, Mr Stivala was denied bail.

The court also appointed an expert to review all CCTV footage of the various security cameras along the route of the car chase.