A youth who intervened in a fight and allegedly ended up damaging a car has been released on bail this afternoon.

Zejtun resident Mahmoud Mesto, 18, from Syria appeared before magistrate Josette Demicoli today, following an incident in Marsaskala on Easter morning at around 2 am in which bottles and stones were thrown at a Mercedes Benz owned by a third party.

Inspector Josric Mifsud charged Mesto with causing voluntary damage to the car, slightly injuring another man, breaching the peace, using foul and blasphemous language in publlic and being drunk an incapable of taking care of himself in a public place.

The court was told that Mesto had been under the influence of alcohol when he became involved in a fight between third parties and damaged the Mercedes.

Inspector Mifsud requested a protection order be issued in favour of the injured man and his family.

A contingent of family members accompanied the accused to court. They were asked to wait outside the courtroom during the sitting as they could be required to testify in future sittings.

Lawyer Yanika Bugeja, appointed as legal aid to the accused, entered a not guilty plea and requested bail.

The accused works as a plasterer with his uncle and lives with his Maltese girlfriend, the court was told.

The prosecution objected to bail on the grounds that aside from his uncle the accused had no ties to Malta. He was a refugee with no family ties to the island, the court was told, but his lawyer pointed out that there were several relatives outside the court. The accused had lived in Malta for the past three years and enjoyed refugee status, she said.

Bugeja argued for the man to be released from arrest, pointing out that the nature of the crime was minimal. The accused was of a tender age, had a clean criminal record and this was a minor offence, posited the lawyer.

The court, after hearing submissions from both sides, said it felt it should grant bail.

It imposed a temporary supervision order on the accused, which means that a probation officer will be shadowing him. He was also ordered not to speak to the witnesses, sign a bail book 3 times a week and observe a curfew.

Bail was granted against a deposit of €500 and a personal guarantee of €5,000.