A man was denied bail on Wednesday after scuffling with police officers on a bus in Triq it-Turisti, Qawra, the day before. 

The incident is understood to have started when the man was denied boarding when he refused to pay his fare.

Inspector Ryan Vella charged John Okoro with a number of offences, which include slightly injuring two police officers and resisting arrest.

The defendant, from Nigeria gave “no place” as his address and “nothing” as his place of work.

Lawyer Joe Brincat informed the court that his client was pleading not guilty to the charges.

Brincat requested bail. Most of the offences are contraventions, normally punishable by a fine, argued the lawyer. "There are two serious charges: causing injury and attacking or resisting the police," he observed.

Inspector Vella objected to the bail request, telling the court that the officers had only asked the man to get off the bus, but he had reacted aggressively and injured them. “This is a serious case and cannot be tolerated, especially for such a minor inconvenience. The absence of an address also makes him difficult to trace for the purpose of summonsing him for sittings.”

The court, presided by magistrate Astrid May Vella, remanded the man into custody, citing the grievous nature of the case and the fact that the defendant did not have a fixed residence or means of income.