A man who claimed to be the victim of an aggression on a Marsa street on the very same day he stepped out of jail was granted bail after pleading not guilty to grievously injuring his alleged aggressor.
Antoine Monsigneur, a 50-year-old Ħamrun resident, currently unemployed, was escorted to court under arrest, his right hand in plaster, following the violent incident that allegedly took place on Tuesday night in Triq il-Marsa.
As the arraignment got under way, the court heard how two men, allegedly involved in the brawl, had turned up at the Ħamrun police station, each pointing an accusing finger at the other, but both bearing visible injuries.
Monsigneur was taken to the health centre for treatment, while his alleged victim, a foreigner, was taken to hospital where he was still being treated, explained prosecuting Inspector Roderick Attard.
The incident took place on the very same day that Monsigneur had walked out of jail, the court was told.
Monsigneur on Thursday pleaded not guilty to grievously injuring the alleged victim, who is also likely to face criminal charges.
While legal aid lawyer Mark Mifsud Cutajar put forward submissions on bail, the accused occasionally sought to put in a word, determined to supply his own version of last Tuesday’s incident.
“I was walking along in the street and they stopped me and asked for €20,” started the accused, insisting that he was assaulted after handing over the money.
“I defended myself,” he stressed.
The prosecution objected to his request for bail, mainly in view of his “voluminous criminal record” which reflected his unruly and untrustworthy character.
But the defence lawyer countered that a person’s criminal record alone was no legal justification to deny bail.
The arrest was “understandable” given the dynamics of the case and there was no denying Monsigneur’s “thick” record, said Mifsud Cutajar.
However, the accused himself went to file a police report and claimed that he acted in self-defence, argued the lawyer, adding that the court was well-equipped with the necessary “tools” to impose stringent bail conditions.
After momentarily suspending the hearing and retiring to chambers, Magistrate Charmaine Galea returned with a decree granting bail against a personal guarantee of €10,000, an order to sign the bail book three times weekly and to abide by a curfew between 9pm and 7am.
The court also barred Monsigneur from going to Triq il-Marsa and strictly warned him to steer clear of the alleged victim who was safeguarded by a protection order.