Two men involved in a brawl sparked by an argument inside a Birkirkara bar toilet on Sunday afternoon were granted bail and barred from the clubs and church during the upcoming feast celebrations.

Josef Bonnici, a 38-year-old self-employed Birkirkara resident and Aosama Elnaib, 25, also from Birkirkara and currently unemployed, pleaded not guilty to grievously injuring their alleged victim, insulting and threatening him and breaching public peace.

The incident concerned an argument that broke out inside an establishment on Sanctuary Street at around 3.30pm on the day marking the start of festivities for St Helen’s feast.

Trouble allegedly brewed when a man from Mosta and a woman from Siġġiewi turned up at the premises on Sanctuary Street and, along with two others, spent “half and hour or so” inside the toilets, said defence lawyer Edward Gatt. 

“What were four persons doing inside the bathroom all that time,” questioned the lawyer.

One of the accused knocked at the bathroom door and got no reply.

Needing to use the bathroom, the man tried a second time.

The toilet door was opened and the accused was suddenly punched in the face, the court was told. 

An argument broke out and, as the situation escalated, “all hell broke loose”.

An almost hour-long footage of the incident inside the bar was in police possession, explained Gatt when making submissions for bail.

The brawl spilled out onto the street and that part of the incident was not captured on camera. 

Prosecuting Inspector Ritienne Gauci objected to bail in view of the fact that civilian witnesses are still to testify.

Moreover, the dynamics of the incident were not quite as the defence had claimed and the alleged victim had been attacked by more than one aggressor outside the bar.

In any case, if granted bail, the accused were to be banned from going to the feast, argued the prosecutor. 

After hearing submissions the court, presided over by magistrate Astrid May Grima, upheld the request against a deposit of €2,000 and a personal guarantee of €10,000 each.

They are to sign the bail book twice weekly, not to approach any of the prosecution witnesses and steer clear of the town’s clubs and church.

The court also issued a protection order in favour of the alleged victims until final judgment.

Lawyer Ishmael Psaila was also defence counsel.