Man breached five sets of bail conditions in one night, prosecutors say
He told police that he had special permission to be out late in Paceville. He didn't.
A 32-year-old man has been remanded in custody after he was found in Paceville beyond his curfew hours in an apparent breach of five sets of bail conditions in one night.
Libyan national Abdulaziz Zamzam, who lives in St Paul's Bay and works in a factory, pleaded not guilty to having allegedly breached five sets of bail conditions handed down by different magistrates along the years.
The prosecution said that on April 13 at around 2:30am, police who were on patrol in Paceville recognised Zamzam. When they confronted him, he said he was celebrating his girlfriend's birthday and had obtained permission to be out.
After allowing him to go free, police later established that he did not have permission, and when he went to sign the bail book the following evening, he was arrested.
The defence made a new request for bail, arguing that the accused had cooperated with police instructions and had gone to sign the bail book the following day. The defence also pointed out that Zamzam had pleaded not guilty to all charges concerned.
The prosecution objected, arguing that Zamzam had an unreliable character, and there was a risk not just of Zamzam breaching bail conditions again, but also of him committing further crimes.
Magistrate Antoine Agius Bonnici denied the bail request, saying the court did not have the peace of mind to grant bail and noting that he had been granted bail in January, February, and March of this year, and was back in court.
Zamzam is no stranger to the courts. Among other cases, in February, he was arraigned for allegedly injuring his ex-girlfriend. He denied the charges.
A month prior, he was granted bail after he pleaded guilty to threatening notorious criminal Melvin Debono, known as il-Quws.
Magistrate Antoine Agius Bonnici presided.
Police inspector Sherona Buhagiar prosecuted while lawyer Nicholas Mifsud appeared for the accused.