A woman who allegedly flirted with policemen in Paceville has ended up alone behind bars after an officer she chatted to recognised her in relation to a previous crime.

Saida Agius Idy, 42, from St Paul’s Bay, was arrested on St Rita Steps, Paceville on Sunday after an officer recognised her as the same person involved in a violent incident with police in the same area only last month.

Ms Agius Idy had approached the patrolling officers and told them “look at how I’ve slimmed down”, a court heard.

The accused contested that version of events, insisting a "blue-eyed officer" had stopped her. 

She was arrested at 9.45pm, 45 minutes after a 9pm curfew imposed as part of bail conditions related to a prior crime, in which she is alleged to have violently resisted arrest, slightly injured a police woman, breached the peace and disobeyed police orders.

Standing in the dock on Tuesday, the accused insisted that she did not know her legal aid lawyer and wanted to choose her own legal counsel.

It turned out however that she had forgotten her own lawyer's name. 

The court, presided over by magistrate Neville Camilleri, explained that she could either have her personal lawyer, or a state-appointed lawyer or else take up her own defence, pointing out that she was facing a possible jail term between four months and two years and/or a fine. 

After some hesitation and nervously glancing around the courtroom at the reporters seated alongside the dock, the woman voiced her decision, “Ok. I’ll defend myself.”

“Are you sure, madame?” asked Magistrate Camilleri.

“Yes,” she replied, nodding. 

Ms Agius Idy registered a not guilty plea.

An officer who had witnessed Sunday’s episode gave his version under oath, followed by the testimony of Inspector Leeroy Balzan Engerer, who had arraigned the woman over the previous incident. 

The woman took the witness stand and told the court that she had been to Bay Street on Sunday at around 7:30pm and was on her way to catch a taxi back home at 8:15pm when she was stopped by a policeman who allegedly told her, “Ah! We’ve caught you outside!”

“Had they not delayed me, I would have been back home by 9:00pm,” the woman insisted. 

On the basis of the evidence put forward the court declared the accused guilty of breaching bail conditions, condemning her to a four-month jail term and ordering confiscation of the bail bond of €5,000.