A man was given an effective prison sentence on Tuesday after admitting to assaulting police officers and being a “vagabond”.  

Ahmed Mooge Ahmed, 29, of Somalia, was arraigned under arrest and charged with assaulting three police constables while they were on duty in the Żabbar parish square.  

Prosecuting inspector Darren Buhagiar told the court, presided by Magistrate Rachel Montebello, that the accused had approached the officers and began threatening them in the early hours of Monday.  

The court was told that the accused appeared drunk and disorderly and wanted to be arrested. He threatened the police he would assault them if they did not take him into custody. 

The inspector said that when the officers refused to arrest him, he began hurling things at them.  

Among the charges levelled against Ahmed was living a vagrant and vagabond lifestyle. He confirmed that he was currently unemployed when questioned in court.  

The inspector also submitted a small knife found on the accused during a strip search at the police lockup and told the court that Ahmed had caused around €150 in damage to a police vehicle during the arrest. 

Closing off his submissions, the prosecuting officer told the court that given that the accused had no real ties to the island, they feared he would abscond or fall back into a life of crime if he was not remanded into custody.  

The accused pled guilty and the presiding magistrate informed him that the charges he was admitting to carried a prison sentence and a possible fine, offering him time to consult his lawyer. 

Magistrate Montebello jailed the accused for 10 months and fined him €5,600. 

He was also ordered to pay for the damages to the vehicle.  

Before concluding, the magistrate also ordered Ahmed not to approach or contact any of the three officers involved in the altercation.