The mother of a newborn child who admitted to repeatedly ramming another woman’s Mercedes before threatening her with a knife has been granted bail pending sentencing. 

Kylie Bonnici, 22, from Marsa, was arrested on Tuesday following the violent episode that broke out when some unresolved issue between the women spilled over, resulting in the accused ramming her Maruti into the other woman’s Mercedes.

Her manoeuvres at the wheel as she crashed into her victim’s car then reversed and repeated the motion four times in a row, were caught on CCTV footage subsequently retrieved by the police. 

The Mercedes driver headed to the police station to file a report, calling Bonnici as she did so. 

But matters escalated further when Bonnici turned up outside the police station, armed with a knife and threatening to attack the other woman.

She was restrained by police and was taken into custody. 

On Wednesday, she was escorted to court and charged with wilful damage to the victim’s car, racking up over €2,500 in damages and driving in a dangerous manner and without the necessary licence and insurance cover. 

She was also charged with attempted grievous bodily harm with a sharp and pointed instrument, causing her victim to fear violence, threatening and assaulting her as well as carrying a knife in public without the necessary police permit. 

After consulting her lawyer, Yanika Bugeja, the accused registered an admission.

The defence requested a pre-sentencing report and bail pending judgment. 

That second request was objected to by the prosecution who voiced concern about the risk of future incidents, even in light of Bonnici’s behaviour while at the police station. 

However, her lawyer rebutted that the woman had filed an early guilty plea and had cooperated with the police. 

Besides, there was no risk of tampering with evidence since she had already registered an admission. 

Moreover, she was the mother of a newborn child. 

Prosecuting Inspector James Mallia confirmed that the accused was on medication and appeared to be “a different person when she calmed down”.

After hearing submissions, the court, presided over by Magistrate Rachel Montebello, upheld the request for bail against a deposit of €800 and a personal guarantee of €5,000 as well as under a temporary supervision order so that a probation officer could monitor and guide her.

The court also issued a protection order in favour of the victim and her relatives, warning the accused that she was not to approach them in any way.