Five people charged with assaulting police officers in Ħamrun will appear in court on October 7 before Magistrate Monica Vella.

Vella was assigned the compilation of evidence against the five on Wednesday, legal sources told Times of Malta.

Magistrates are assigned cases according to a roster. 

All five accused are pleading not guilty to a raft of charges stemming from a Saturday night brawl that erupted on Ħamrun’s high street.

Two police officers were injured in the fracas, one seriously, and the case drew national attention after bystander videos of the incident went viral on social media.

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri has since said that he intends to propose new, tougher prison sentences for anyone found guilty of assaulting or disobeying officers.

The Opposition has welcomed that move but called for the government to also do more to ensure the police are adequately trained and equipped to deal with criminals. 

Magistrate Monica Vella’s assignment could potentially spark objections from defence lawyers, due to her marriage to a high-ranking police officer. Vella’s husband, George Cremona, serves as assistant commissioner in the police force.

Under Maltese law, magistrates can opt to recuse themselves of their own volition or following a request filed by parties to a case.

Vella has served as a magistrate for nine years, having previously served as mayor of Xewkija and with experience as both a commissioner for justice as well as a judicial assistant in the superior courts.

All five of the people accused of assault are currently being held at the Corradino prison, after the magistrate who registered their not guilty pleas turned down their requests for bail.