A man who jumped out of a first-floor window to escape from police has been remanded in custody on a number of charges which include resisting arrest.
John Lawrence Formosa was arraigned before magistrate Grazio Mercieca this morning, accused of making a false report against two officers, perverting the course of justice, threatening the officers, failing to obey their legitimate orders, breaching the peace, damaging a pair of handcuffs, escaping from police custody and relapsing.
The 40 year-old London-born accused, who has a lengthy criminal record, was already on bail for another offence had been signing his bail book at the Cospicua police station when he darted out of the police station, allegedly after being confronted by a police officer about a recent theft, and returned home. Inspector Josric Mifsud explained that Formosa was rearrested at his residence and handcuffed while police carried out a search for the stolen item. It was during this search that he somehow sawed through his handcuffs and leapt out of a first floor window in an bid to escape.
In court today, lawyer Mark Mifsud Cutajar as legal aid, filed a not guilty plea to the charges.
“I’m the victim,” Formosa told the court. He alleged that he had been assaulted by police, although Inspector Mifsud said this claim was not borne out by a subsequent medical examination.
The defence requested bail, which was objected to by the prosecution who pointed out that the accused had escaped from police custody twice in one day.
Mifsud Cutajar said that the prosecution was questioning the trustworthiness of the accused. “In most cases, the defence has little to say. This case is different. We have a person who already, because of another case, signs at Cospicua every day. He is a local with an address at Cospicua and who is well known to the police, as he had trouble with the law in the past.” There is a history of this person showing himself to be trustworthy in this regard, said the lawyer.
On this occasion, when signing at the police station, a police officer accused him of stealing a number of items and in a moment of panic he had returned to his house, submitted the lawyer. “This is the escape which he is being accused of.”
Inspector Mifsud explained that there were, in fact, two escapes: once from the police station and once from his home, where he had sawed through his handcuffs and jumped out of a first floor window while police were searching his house.
“The question is not whether he escaped or not, but whether he is trustworthy to obey bail conditions,” submitted the defence.
The accused had suffered injuries which he says were inflicted by police and into which there is an ongoing internal inquiry the court was told.
He was already under a strict regime of signing bail book every day, concluded the defence.
The court, however, said it was not convinced that the accused would observe his bail conditions if this was granted and denied bail.
“I got beaten up and I’m going to prison,” interjected the accused, taking off his jacket to show the court some scratches on his arms. “I’m the victim,” he sniffled.