A court yesterday heard that a Syrian family living in a Tarxien house came to blows with the landlord’s son over a pending court dispute on unpaid rent.

Demis Darmanin, 41, from Cospicua, was yesterday charged with inflicting slight injuries and threatening 47-year-old Husein Tlas with various objects, and disturbing public peace three days ago. He was also accused of threatening and assaulting the Syrian man’s wife Najoud, 40, and their 19-year-old son Mohammad.

The Syrians, who were arraigned before Magistrate Francesco Depasquale immediately after Mr Darmanin, were charged on 11 counts. The three of them were accused of resisting, threatening and disobeying police orders, slightly injuring an officer and disturbing public peace.

The father and son were also charged with assaulting, threatening and causing slight injuries to Mr Darmanin while Mr Tlas senior was accused of damaging an officer’s sunglasses, worth €130.

The court heard how on the day of the incident, both sides had been in court over a pending civil court case instituted by Mr Darmanin’s father. The latter claimed that the Syrian tenants had defaulted on the monthly rent payments for a year.

A few hours after the sitting, Mr Darmanin turned up at the Syrian’s residence in Tarxien, and a fight broke out. The prosecution explained that prior to this incident the Syrian father had been charged with assault, but never appeared in court as he could not be traced.

Consequently, he had been acquitted as the charges had become time-barred.

While Mr Darmanin was granted bail against a personal guarantee of €500, the court imposed harsher conditions on Mrs Tlas whose bail was secured against a deposit of €500 and a personal guarantee of €5,000. The court however, refused bail to Mr Tlas and his son.

Lawyer Roberto Montalto was defence counsel for Mr Darmanin, while Arthur Azzopardi appeared for Mrs Tlas, and George Buttigieg for the father and son. Police inspector Christabelle Chetcuti prosecuted.