A man who allegedly smashed a broomstick on the head of a fellow teenage migrant after a fight broke out between the pair during a ball game was denied bail.

Lamin Jabbi, a 29-year-old Mali national, ended on the wrong side of the law as a result of the violent episode which allegedly took place at around 10.30am on Monday at the Marsa Open Centre where both the alleged aggressor and the victim lived. 

A heated argument broke out during some sort of ball game, explained prosecuting Inspector Andy Rotin during the suspected aggressor’s arraignment on Tuesday afternoon. 

Jabbi and the other migrant, a 14-year-old Egyptian, allegedly grabbed a broomstick each and as the situation escalated, the older migrant hit the victim on the head.

The injury, which needed suturing, was medically certified as grievous, the court was told. 

The alleged aggressor, who appeared to be angry and refused to speak to his social worker who was also present in court, was charged with causing grievous bodily harm, wilfully disturbing the public peace as well as relapsing. 

The man, who said that he had stopped working because he was unwell, replied, “No, I’m not guilty,” to the charges.

A request for bail was objected to by the prosecutor who informed the court that when releasing his statement, the accused had directly told the officer that if he were to meet the victim again he would kill him.

Moreover, since he had no alternative residence he would return to the open centre where he would come across the alleged victim.

There were also a number of witnesses still to testify, the court heard. 

Legal aid lawyer David Bonello countered that the accused was still presumed innocent and the court could impose stringent bail conditions.

However, after hearing submissions and in light of the nature of the charges as well as the criminal record of the accused, the court, presided over by magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras, denied the request. 

The man’s social worker informed the court that in case of being granted bail, the accused would not go back to the Marsa Open Centre but would be given alternative accommodation.

However, the magistrate confirmed her decision since at this stage the court did not consider the accused to be able to offer sufficient guarantees in terms of law, noting that he appeared to be “very angry” and that his criminal record showed that this was not his first brush with the law.