Court transfers 63-year-old man with TB to underground cell
Magistrate expresses disappointment that the accused was allowed in a crowded courtroom
A man with TB was transferred from a courtroom to underground cells on Friday after a magistrate expressed great disappointment that the 63-year-old had been allowed into a courtroom.
Magistrate Anne Marie Thake said she will be asking prison officials why the man had been allowed into a crowded courtroom with a contagious disease.
The alleged thief, who was wearing a medical mask, was escorted out of a courtroom after the prosecution and defence informed her that he was suffering from tuberculosis. They added that the illness was airborne and that the accused took 20 pills a day to treat it.
Charles Cutajar, from Cospicua, was waiting in the courtroom to be arraigned in connection with a theft that allegedly took place in his hometown.
Sources told Times of Malta said he allegedly stole €400 and the homeowner's mobile phone.
Cutajar also allegedly fled the residence and left his own mobile phone behind him, a factor that likely led the police to apprehend him.
After it learned of the disease the man had been diagnosed with, the court ordered that the accused be held in custody, isolated in the court's underlying cells.
Times of Malta has also been informed that Magistrate Thake sought clarification through the Court Services Agency CEO Vanessa Grech, who subsequently contacted the Superintendence of Public Health for medical guidance.
According to the sources, the superintendence advised that the situation would only be considered medically alarming in cases involving prolonged close contact with someone, or an exchange of DNA or bodily fluids.
Inspector Kurt Farrugia, assisted by AG Lawyer Miryea Mifsud, prosecuted.
Lawyers Jacob Magri and Arthur Azzopardi appeared for the accused.