Mother and daughter granted bail over police scuffle
What started as an electric scooter check led to several RIU officers called to the site
A 32-year-old woman and her 16-year-old daughter from Cospicua have been granted bail after being charged with slightly injuring a police officer and violently resisting arrest, in an incident that began as a routine stop over an electric scooter.
The two, whose names cannot be published by court order, were arraigned under arrest on Sunday, accused of assaulting a person entrusted with a public service, using violence to resist officers, and disobeying legitimate police orders.
They were also charged with causing slight injuries to a police constable. The injuries were certified by a doctor.
The teenager faced additional charges of riding a Kukirin G2 Pro electric kick-scooter without a driving licence, without third-party insurance cover, and without the vehicle being registered and licensed by the authority.
Her mother is separately charged with breaching bail conditions imposed on her by a decree issued in August 2025.
The alleged incident took place at around 1pm on Saturday in Triq it-Tmienja ta' Diċembru, Cospicua.
Testifying at the arraignment, Inspector Clive Abela said a police constable had stopped the scooter to verify whether it carried the required licence and insurance. It turned out the vehicle was unlicensed, and since the rider was 16 years old, her mother was summoned to the scene.
The girl resisted when officers moved to confiscate the scooter, the inspector said. Later she told police that the vehicle belonged to her sister. The situation deteriorated once her mother arrived on site.
Under cross-examination by the defence, Abela conceded that the situation had remained largely under control until the constable herself called in the Rapid Intervention Unit, with some five or six RIU officers turning up over what had started as a minor scooter stop.
The prosecution objected to bail, arguing that civilian witnesses, most of them relatives of the accused, had yet to testify. They also mentioned the bail breach charge against the mother.
The defence countered that the girl was a minor in stable public-sector employment, and insisted there were two sides to the story, with the situation only spiralling after the constable summoned the RIU over a minor incident.
The accused had also apologised during police questioning, the lawyers added.
The prosecution asked the court to issue a protection order in favour of the constable and to disqualify the teenager from holding or obtaining a driving licence for 12 months.
Magistrate Astrid May Grima granted the pair bail against an €800 deposit and a €10,000 personal guarantee.
Lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Fleur Abela appeared for the accused.
Inspectors Conrad Falzon and Clive Abela prosecuted.