A German diplomat's wife described in court today how she was pulled by her hair and thrown to the ground by a taxi driver who claimed that she had leaned against his car.

Ihssane Larhzali, who is Moroccan, was testifying in the case against Fabian Mifsud and Emanuel Tabone, both taxi drivers. She waived diplomatic immunity before testifying. She also stands accused of harassing and threatening to use violence against Mr Mifsud and Mr Tabone.

Ms Larhzali said the incident happened on May 26 near a hotel in Paceville.

She said that she never touched the car, but as she stood near the car, her handbag and her backside touched the vehicle, but she was not leaning against it. She was accompanied by two friends.

She said Mr Mifsud told her to get her 'dirty ass' off the car as he had just washed it. He was angry and was swearing.

She told him there was no need to get angry and nothing would happen to his car. When he got even angrier, she warned him that she would call the police.

He then became physically violent, hitting her in her face and on her legs. Tabone held her by the arm for some time while she was being hit.
She fell to the floor and could not believe what was happening to her.
She kicked out and hit Mifsud between the legs.

One of her friends called the police and then she did so herself . When the police officer asked her where she was and she said 'Paceville' the officer hung up the phone. She called back, telling him that if the police did not come, she would call the Embassy.

Two minutes later, the police were on the scene but by this time Mr Mifsud had left.

Taking the witness stand, Mr Tabone said that Ms Larhzali was leaning against his friend's car. Mr Mifsud told her three times, politely, to get off his car and then he pulled her away by the arm. She still refused to get away from the car and resisted.

In his evidence, Mr Mifsud said the minute he grabbed her arm to pull her away from the vehicle, she began to hit him with her handbag. She also hit him between the legs and began shouting "I work at the embassy, I bring you shit."

As he grabbed her, she resisted and fell back onto the car, even causing a dent which he noticed on the following day.

The case was put off for judgement.

Lawyers Abigail Bugeja and Lucio Schriha appeared for Ms Larhzali while Gianluca Caruana Curran was counsel for Mifsud and Tabone.