A man and his son were yesterday charged with assaulting and seriously injuring lawyer Tonio Azzopardi at his Valletta offices.

Philip Camilleri, 56, from St Paul’s Bay and his son, also called Philip, 26, from Marsa, pleaded not guilty to seriously injuring Dr Azzopardi on 3 July at 5.30pm in his Valletta office.

They were also accused of seriously injuring Dr Azzopardi and forcing him to do something against his will and illegally arresting him. They were also accused of forcing him to hand over a debt they claim he owed them and interfering in the affairs of a public official.

The two men were also accused of threatening the lawyer and of causing damage to his office.

The court heard the prosecution explain that the two men approached Dr Azzopardi, claiming that he had acted as legal aid for them in a civil court case and owed them some Lm5,700. The prosecution said that both men told the police that they had not started the fight and that it was in fact Dr Azzopardi who started it by throwing them out and saying that he would not pay them the money they claimed he owed them.

The court, presided over by magistrate Jacqueline Padovani, granted both men house arrest against a deposit of Lm500 and a personal guarantee of Lm5,000 each.

Police inspector Pierre Micallef Grimaud prosecuted.