Police responding to reports of a bar brawl in St Paul's Bay ended up catching a man hiding cocaine in his mouth while breaking his curfew, a court heard today. 

Ramzi Abdulhafid Ib Abukem, a 35-year old living at St Paul’s Bay, was caught at the bar at 4am on Sunday, when police who arrived to stop a fight between a separate group of men spotted him and immediately realised he ought to have been at home. 

When officers searched him, they found a sachet of suspected cocaine hidden in his mouth. 

Mr Abukem faces charges of possessing cocaine which he failed to prove was for his personal use and of breaching bail conditions imposed last July. He has also been charged with involvement in an aggravated theft dating back to October.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Mr Abukem was also charged with commiting crimes during the operative period of a suspended sentence delivered in October 2016, whilst also being a relapser.

Prosecutors objected to his request for bail, saying the charges were serious and civilian witnesses were yet to testify. Mr Abukem had already breached earlier bail conditions, the court was also told.

Defence counsel Kathleen Calleja Grima pointed out the alleged theft had taken place on October 27 - had Mr Abukem intended to abscond, he would have done so already, she said.   

The charge relating to simple drug possession would not normally have called for an arraignment before a Magistrates’ court. This had occurred only on account of the other charges relating to the theft.

It was further pointed out that Mr Abukem, a Libyan national who had travelled to Malta purposely to seek protection, had a full refugee status and had no intention to flee to Libya. Besides, the man had been residing at the same fixed address for a number of years, the court was told.

However, the court turned down the request for bail since at this stage it deemed that Mr Abukem did not offer sufficient guarantee to observe bail conditions.

The court, presided over by magistrate Gabriella Vella, recommended that prison authorities were to ensure that the man was examined by a psychiatrist to determine whether he should be detained at Mount Carmel hospital.

Kathleen Grima was legal counsel. Inspectors Matthew Spagnol and Nicholas Vella prosecuted.