A pizzaiolo on Friday admitted to slightly injuring a police officer when speeding off while being questioned about his badly parked car.

Police Inspector Zachary Zammit told court that on August 19, community officers in St Julian’s noticed a badly parked Toyota on Triq San Ġorġ. 

The officers approached the driver who agreed to move the vehicle following a brief conversation. However, the driver ended up moving the car a short distance away to another inappropriate parking spot. 

This time the community police officers asked the driver to verify his identity and to check his documents. However, as they approached his vehicle, the driver sped off and knocked over an officer, causing slight injuries. 

The driver was later identified through body cam footage as 24-year-old Jake Debono, partly through a distinctive cross-shaped tattoo on his right cheek. 

Arraigned in court on Friday, Debono was charged with driving without a license or insurance, driving dangerously, threatening and injuring a police officer and causing injuries of a slight nature, refusing to obey the police’s orders and giving false particulars. 

Zammit said that at the time, community police tried to drive off after Debono but were unable to catch up. 

After obtaining a warrant, the police searched Debono’s Valletta home for him but he was not there.

When the police contacted him over the phone and informed him that there was a warrant out for his arrest, Debono turned himself in at the Valletta police station the next day. 

Debono told the court that he had been employed as a pizzaiolo until recently but had since stopped working. He said that he was willing to admit to the charges brought against him. 

Lawyer Franco Debono asked the court, presided by Magistrate Giannella Camilleri Busuttil, to defer sentencing so that the defence could make submissions on punishment and possibly request a social worker for a pre-sentencing report so that the right punishment could be calibrated.

The prosecution did not object to the request given the accused’s behaviour after the incident. 

“When he came to the police station he expressed shame and regret for his behaviour,” Zammit said. 

“In light of this and the fact that he does not have a criminal record, we are recommending a light sentence and perhaps a fine on the lower end of the spectrum, given his circumstances.” 

The prosecution did not object to the request to defer judgment nor to a request for bail. 

“As long as he adheres to the imposed conditions, there is no issue with it,” Zammit said. 

Debono was granted bail against a €500 deposit and a personal guarantee of €4,000. He was banned from overseas travel and ordered to sign the bail book at the Valletta police station. Debono was told to observe a curfew between midnight and 7am.