A prisoner nicknamed Il-Bomba threatened a number of prison warders, going as far as punching one of them because he claimed that his complaints that a fellow prisoner had shingles fell on deaf ears.

Sylvester James, 29, of Marsa, assaulted correctional officer Alexander Desira by punching him in the face. 

Mr Desira told Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit that the incident happened early on June 12 when Mr James and his father, who also goes with the same nickname of his son, so much so that he has it tattooed on his forehead, began complaining about a prisoner who had shingles. 

The father and son and the prisoner were in the same division, known as the single-room. Mr Desira said the sick prisoner did not want to leave his cell. 

He said that when the father and son came out of their cells, there was a small commotion because of the complaints about the sick prisoner. He said he had ordered that Mr James senior be escorted to another section because he was shouting. This led to Mr James Jnr to become aggressive.

Mr James stands charged with assaulting Mr Desira and slightly injuring him. He is also charged with threatening and offending no less than 11 correctional officers who intervened when things got out of hand in prison, disobeying their orders and trying to prevent them from carrying out their duties.

He was further charged with accusing the correctional officers of a crime he knew was false and filing a false report with the police.

Mr James is pleading insanity and is being kept at the Forensic Unit at Mount Carmel Psychiatric Hospital. 

Police Inspector Hubert Cini prosecuted.

Mr James made headlines last June when he told Magistrate Aaron Bugeja and a police inspector: “Who the f*** do you think you are?” while testifying in a case against another prisoner, Jason Decelis, who is also facing criminal proceedings for assaulting a prison warder and for accusing him of a crime he knew did not take place. When the magistrate had warned Mr James that he was speaking to a magistrate Mr James had replied: “And I am il-Bomba”.

Mr Decelis had made a false claim against the correctional officer, alleging he had ordered him to urinate on his cell floor instead of using the toilet.

The case continues.