A man, found to have been living in Malta illegally, ended up in hot water after being aggressive in police custody, a court was told on Tuesday. 

Bakary Fatty, a 28-year-old Gambian national, was being detained at the Floriana lock-up earlier this month after immigration authorities found that he was not supposed to have been residing in Malta. 

While detained on November 5, in the very early hours of the morning, some officers checked on him and noticed that the man appeared to be unconscious. 

But no sooner had the officers entered the cell, that the man jumped into action, reacting in an aggressive manner, a court was told on Tuesday.

Police had to use a taser gun in their attempt to control the situation. 

Following that episode, the man was escorted to Mount Carmel Hospital where he was kept under observation. 

He was discharged on Monday.

After obtaining fresh arrest warrants, police arraigned the man on Tuesday, charging him with insulting and threatening the officers, resisting them in violent manner and causing them slight injuries.

He was also charged with willfully damaging their uniforms and taser gun as well as refusing to obey legitimate orders. 

The man pleaded not guilty. 

A request for bail was turned down by the court, presided over by Magistrate Ian Farrugia, in view of the circumstances of the case and the nature of the charges. 

The accused had no real ties to Malta and that posed a real danger to the proper administration of justice. 

He was thus remanded in custody. 

Inspectors Gabriel Micallef and Kevin Pulis prosecuted.

Lawyer Mattia Felice was legal aid counsel. 

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