Carmel Camilleri, 30, was accused of threatening five nurses: Publio Frendo, Toussaint Cauchi, Patrick Farrugia, Victor Mintoff and Joseph Camilleri. He allegedly slightly injured Mr Frendo, Mr Cauchi and Mr Farrugia.

Charlot Briffa, aged 22, and 23-year-old Jeffrey Vella were also accused of threatening nurses Patrick Farrugia and Brian Abela. Mr Farrugia was medically certified as having been slightly injured by them.

All three men were accused of breaching the peace. They pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them and were ordered to be detained in ward 10. This is a ward at Mount Carmel that comes under the jurisdiction of the Prisons Department.

Briffa is due to begin a rehabilitation programme at San Blas this week and the court, presided over by magistrate Dennis Montebello, agreed that he be allowed to attend it.

Inspector Victor Aquilina prosecuted.

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) strongly protested to Mount Carmel hospital’s management after the attack on these nurses.

These men all have drug problems, and the union is claiming that a special ward should be opened to attend to them. Despite this suggestion, the management has not done anything about it, said the MUMN.

The MUMN issued a directive for its members working in this particular ward to report for work in the management’s office until the number of patients with drug problems is reduced to two or less.