Two British holidaymakers have been remanded in custody after fighting with and grievously injuring a drunk man in Paceville.

Jordan Leli Brown, 27 and Josh Ronnie Edward Ahmed-Sone, 25 were charged with slightly injuring a Maltese woman, attempted use of force, uttering insults and threats, breaching the peace and being drunk in public. Brown was also charged with grievously injuring a Maltese man, damaging third party property and threatening the woman with a hard object. He was additionally charged with threatening three police officers at St. Julian’s police station and attempting to bribe them.

The pair had allegedly got into an argument with the intoxicated Maltese man, who had been sick and was being helped by his sister and her friend. The men had begun insulting the man, mocking him for needing assistance from two females, before the incident took a physical turn. The Maltese man suffered grievous injuries in the fight with his two aggressors then fleeing the scene, chased by the victim’s sister.

As the woman caught up to the tourists, one of them flung an ashtray at her, missing and instead smashing a glass panel on Baystreet Bridge, causing €2496 in damages.

The accused both pleaded not guilty and requested bail.

Police inspector Joseph Xerri, prosecuting, objected to bail on the grounds that the men had no ties to Malta and that they had already tried to cover their tracks and abscond by checking out of their hotel immediately after the incident.

Legal aid counsel Simon Micallef Stafrace argued that the men’s passports had been seized and that they could not abscond. One of the accused had Maltese parents and could therefore rent a place to stay. The incident involved four people who didn’t know each other and who would all provide their versions of events to the court, he said.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke rejected the request for bail, pointing out that the accused had not specified any fixed address and were a flight risk.