A man accused of violently assaulting social media personality Terry Muscat headbutted a courtroom door and screamed 'I'm going to die in there' when he was denied bail.
Gareth Chlach, 22, pleaded not guilty to all charges when he appeared in court on Tuesday.
Muscat, better known as 'Terry Ta' Bormla' shared pictures and live-streamed video of her facial injuries on Facebook last week following the alleged incident.
The court heard how she filed a report with the police's domestic violence unit last Friday following an argument over a mobile phone with Chlach, whom she had been in a relationship with, for months.
Inspector Eman Hayman told the court that Muscat claimed Chlach had wanted to use her phone to make a personal call.
The accused, angered when Muscat followed to listen in on the phone call, flung the phone onto the floor and when his partner bent down to retrieve it, punched her in the face, the inspector said.
Muscat said she had been living in constant fear on account of Chlach's violent streak, likely made worse by his “acute drug addiction,” explained the inspector.
Chlach was arrested on Monday when he voluntarily turned up at the local police station.
He pleaded not guilty to grievous bodily harm, insulting and threatening the alleged victim, causing her to fear violence as well as simple drug possession and breach of a previous probation order.
A request for bail was objected to in view of the gravity of the offence and the fear that if released from preventive arrest, the accused might repeat the violence.
Defence lawyer George Anton Buttigieg countered that this incident involved the accused and the alleged victim who had already given his version to the police and would not likely change it once he testified in court.
Moreover, the accused had a separate address he could go to and adequate bail conditions could ensure that he did not approach the victim.
Magistrate Lara Lanfranco turned down the request in view of the gravity of the charges centred upon allegations of domestic violence and the fear of tampering with evidence.
The court recommended that the accused be detained at the vulnerable persons section or the forensic unit in light of his drug problem and for his own personal safety.
Chlach reacted loudly, shaking his head and insisting that “jail had a bad effect” on him and that he would not make it out of there alive.
His reaction grew more violent as he stepped outside the courtroom.
“I’m going to die in there," he repeated, begging "please don't take me to jail" before banging his head on the closed wooden door, causing his head to bleed.