Gang of teens beat up another boy and shared video of attack, court hears

Seven teenagers, some as young as 14, were arraigned in court on Sunday in connection with an alleged assault on a minor and for attempting to steal his scooter.

All seven teenagers are accused of complicity in the theft of a scooter, while four were charged with the alleged assault.

Two of the youths admitted to the charges, while the rest denied the accusations.

The youths, aged between 14 and 16, all Maltese and students, appeared before Magistrate Nadine Sant Lia in a packed courtroom, where the accused were accompanied by family members, lawyers and police officers.

A court order banned the publication of names, ages, or any other form of identification of the minors.

Police inspector Joseph Mallia told the court that the parents of the alleged victim had reported that their son had been in the family garage on Thursday, when a group of boys entered the garage and assaulted him.

The alleged victim was left with a fractured eye socket, leading to potential damage to his eyesight and a fractured nose, among other injuries, the inspector said.

Mallia added that the minor was recovering at Mater Dei Hospital, where he was reported to be suffering from grievous injuries.

The police have footage confirming the incident, with one clip showing the alleged assault as it happened, filmed by one of the accused before being shared in a group conversation on a messaging application.

Mallia said the police were investigating the incident, including the chats in which the incident was discussed, and that a statement had been taken from the alleged victim.

Minors in the justice system

The seven minor accused were identified as AB, CD, EF, GH, IJ, KL, and MN.

Defence lawyer for defendant EF, Franco Debono, argued that the minors fell into two categories: those aged between 14 and 16, and those between 16 and 18.

He said that due to the presumption of innocence for minors under the age of 16, unless in the case of proven criminal intent, such defendants are exempt from criminal guilt.

Debono said the law also states that the treatment of such minors should be different from that of adults, with bail granted and a probation officer assigned to supervise the minor.

The police inspector responded that the minor in question knew where the alleged victim, who was still required to testify, lived.

Defence lawyer for defendant CD, Alfred Abela, emphasised that his client had cooperated with the police, providing his mobile phone and admitting to being in possession of footage of the alleged assault.

He said, however, that his client had arrived at the scene of the incident after the alleged victim suffered injuries, and that the footage provided by his client showed people in the “common area” of the garage.

“The minor spoke to the police. Not only that, but he also gave them his phone pin and told them [the police] they can check his phone to see if he has more footage,” Abela said.

Mallia confirmed that the boy had cooperated with the police.

Charges

All seven teenagers are accused of complicity in the theft of a scooter.

One of the accused, GH, was charged separately for causing damage to the scooter and property.

IJ is accused of complicity in theft.

AB, CD, EF, and MN were charged with causing bodily harm to the minor.

GH and KL pleaded guilty to the charges, while the rest pleaded not guilty.

Bail conditions

All seven minors were granted bail against a deposit of €3,000 each. The two who pleaded guilty will have a report drawn up by social workers.

All seven were ordered to refrain from approaching the victim.

They were ordered to sign a bail book at their local police station twice a week, with a curfew imposed between the hours of 7pm and 6am.

CD and MN were granted bail against a €10,000 personal guarantee.

AB, EF, GH, and IJ were granted bail against a personal guarantee of €20,000.

KL was granted bail against a personal guarantee of €5,000.

The minors were assigned probation officers for a pre-sentence report.

Some of the parents of the seven minors stepped in as third-party guarantors, meaning that if the accused breaks their bail conditions, they will have to pay a guarantee.

A protection order was issued in favour of the victim.

‘Cowboy attitude’

Following the four-hour sitting, Magistrate Nadine Sant gave a stern telling off to the minors for their “cowboy attitude” and expressed that they should be grateful to their parents.

“You will not always find your parents ready to support you and be behind you; none of them deserves this at all, and you should be so grateful to have their support,” she said.

She explained how the courts see many cases like theirs, yet with minors who lack the support of their families.

One of the minor’s parents apologised to the victim’s parents, to which the magistrate said it was for the minors to apologise for their actions, not their parents.

“I have every empathy for the parents (…). This situation is extremely painful for them [parents]; they are decent people and now need to face these consequences. I hope you all go home with your tail between your legs and truly reflect on what you have done. I hope this experience will turn your life around.”

Representation

Magistrate Nadine Lia Sant presided. AG lawyer Miryea Mifsud prosecuted, assisted by police inspector Joseph Mallia.

Lawyer Francois Dalli appeared for AB and KL. Lawyer Alfred Abela appeared for CD. Lawyers Franco Debono and Adreana Zammit appeared for EF. Lawyers Nicolas Mifsud and Mario Mifsud appeared for GH. Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi appeared for IJ. Lawyers Nicolette Schembri and Lennox Vella appeared for MN.

Lawyer Charles Mercieca appeared for parte civile.

This is the second case this year where youths have been charged for assaulting a minor.

In February, five teenagers were charged with assaulting a 14-year-old boy in Sliema. Last month, two of the teenagers pleaded guilty to beating up the boy.