A young lady claimed that her landlord had come to her flat and, finding her half-dressed, had tried to force himself on her.

The 22-year-old had allegedly not paid her rent, prompting her landlord to disconnect the water and electricity supplies to her apartment, according to prosecuting Inspector Oriana Spiteri.

The landlord had apparently turned up at her flat on the eve of the Santa Maria public holiday, and the woman allegedly injured and threatened him.

However, defence counsel Ismael Psaila stepped in on this point, claiming that the landlord had found the woman half-undressed and had tried to force himself upon her. That was when his client had allegedly inflicted the injuries upon the man, Dr Psaila argued, stating that the woman had acted in self-defence.

The police had later received a report regarding alleged fraud by the tenant who had supplied false personal details on the lease agreement.

The prosecution explained how the police had been trying to contact her but her mobile phone had been switched off. The woman had also allegedly taken a TV set and DVD from the rented apartment.

The woman pleaded not guilty and a request for bail was upheld against a deposit of €1,000 and a third-party guarantee for €3,000. The court, presided over by magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia imposed a curfew between 10pm and 6am, ordering the woman to sign the bail book daily and to steer clear of prosecution witnesses. The woman has since taken up residence with a relative elsewhere.

Lawyer Noel Bianco was also defence counsel.