A court yesterday ordered the re-arrest of a 28-year-old care worker who was charged with slightly injuring a bed-ridden elderly man after slapping him at St Vincent de Paul residence on 1 January.

After a magistrate’s court ruled that Kevin Mamo, 28, from Qormi, should not have been arraigned under arrest on Friday, the Criminal Court’s decision was based on the fact that although the accused’s arrest warrant was issued on 12 February, he was actually arrested on 1 March.

On Friday, Mr Mamo’s arrest was declared invalid, since the court said the police had not treated the case with urgency and had said they were too busy to arraign him on a day closer to when the incident is alleged to have taken place.

Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano found that the magistrate’s court had applied the law in a “manifestly mistaken” manner and upheld the Attorney General’s request to re-arrest Mr Mamo.

Police inspector Jesmond Borg prosecuted and Dr Ian Farrugia and Dr Franco Galea appeared for the accused.