A 33-year-old man who caused a high-speed crash while fleeing the police after assaulting his girlfriend in public has been granted his sixth bail.
Melvin Debono, better known as “il-Quws”, was arraigned two months ago and charged with some 15 different criminal charges in connection with an incident which saw him cause a high-speed crash while fleeing the police.
On February 11, the court heard that the police received a call about a fight in Żurrieq.
As they approached the area, they recognised Debono’s BMW but could not see who was at the wheel, as the windows were tinted. The police officers sought to stop the vehicle.
The officers chased Debono’s BMW until the police Rapid Intervention Unit vehicle crashed into another vehicle in Tarxien. The BMW drove off. The two police officers inside the vehicle, as well as the driver of the other vehicle, were treated for their injuries.
During the arraignment, it also emerged that Debono was caught on CCTV footage assaulting his partner at a Żurrieq bar and then getting into a fight with some other bar patrons.
The man was meant to be home at the time of the incident due to a court-imposed curfew.
Debono faced several criminal charges, including causing slight injuries to his partner and causing her to fear violence, reckless driving, disobeying police orders, and breaching five sets of bail conditions.
Prosecutors also charged him with breaching a court-imposed probation order handed down to him by a court just a week before the arraignment.
He pleaded not guilty.
In January, Debono was charged with ignoring his court-imposed curfew just three months after he had been charged with breaching several bail conditions.
The court acceded to the bail request after Probation Officer Ritianne Sultana Grech was summoned to testify by defence lawyer Franco Debono.
In her testimony, she told the court that Debono has shown “strong determination” to turn a fresh page. He was also willing to submit himself to any care plan drawn up by the probation officer.
As part of his bail conditions, the court ordered him to sign the bail book daily and ordered him to be home between 6.30pm and 7.30am. The court also imposed a supervision order.
Magistrate Gabriella Vella presided over the court.
Inspectors Mark Anthony Mercieca, Jeffrey Scicluna Briffa, John Leigh Howard, and Kurt Farrugia prosecuted.
Lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Adreana Zammit were counsel for the defence.