Man 'tried to bite policeman during nightclub drug arrest,' court told

Police say drugs, illegal fighting knives and cash were recovered during searches connected to a man who allegedly tried to bite a police officer during his arrest at a nightclub in Ta’ Qali, last Wednesday.

Inspector Francesca Calleja arraigned 29-year-old Sebastian Fiedler from Żabbar before magistrate Joseph Gatt on Tuesday, accusing the man of possession of cocaine, ecstasy and an unclassified psychoactive substance, all of which were found in circumstances which indicated that they were not solely intended for his personal use.

The charges are further aggravated by the fact that he had been at a place where young people gather.

24 ecstasy pills were discovered in his possession, together with around 3.5g of cocaine and 1g of a psychoactive substance thought to be ketamine mixed with ecstasy were recovered.

He was also accused of breaching previous bail conditions, committing an offence against the person of a police officer, violently resisting arrest and possession of illegal knives.

The substances were found in the man’s pockets after he was arrested at the Numero Uno nightclub last Wednesday.

Inspector Calleja told the court that police had conducted an inspection at the entertainment establishment at around 10:15pm on May 1st. Officers had noticed the man acting suspiciously and decided to take a closer look. “They approached him and at that exact moment, he dropped an empty sachet with traces of white powder from his hand.”

Fiedler had been holding a €50 note in his other hand, added the police inspector.

Fiedler was arrested after a struggle during which he allegedly attempted to bite one of the arresting police officers. He was then escorted to the Birkirkara police station, where a search on his person discovered four sachets of white powder, suspected to be cocaine in one of his trouser pockets.

A sachet of pink powder, which the police suspect to be ketamine mixed with MDMA, as well as 24 pills thought to be ecstasy and €450 in cash.

A subsequent search carried out at his home in Żabbar discovered a number of illegal bladed weapons, amongst them a butterfly knife and a switchblade.

The defendant was already on bail at the time of his arrest, added the inspector.

Fiedler did not answer questions during his interrogation and was later released on police bail, before being called in for questioning a second time, where he repeated his refusal to answer the police’s questions.

Lawyer Franco Debono, assisting Fiedler together with lawyer Gianluca Caruana Curran, asked the inspector to confirm that the man had obeyed the order to return to the police station after being granted police bail. He had, Inspector Calleja replied.

Debono suggested that the drugs had actually been found on the ground in the busy nightclub, but the police inspector explained that he had been seen to drop the sachet and had then tried to push it away with his foot.

A proper search was then carried out at the Birkirkara police station, during which all the substances were found on his person.“All the sachets we found had been in his trouser pocket. The empty sachet was on the ground at the nightclub. The rest of the drugs were found in his pocket.”

Asked by the court what he wished to plead to the charges, the defence replied that Fiedler was pleading not guilty and requested bail.

In their objections to bail, the prosecution cited the seriousness of the charges, the place where he was arrested with drugs, their variety and the amounts in which they were found. He had a record of disobedience when it came to court orders, added the inspector. “He is not trustworthy and has demonstrated an inability to adhere to bail conditions, by committing another grievous offence and resisting police officers.”

Questions asked by the magistrate clarified that the man currently had no convictions and that the breach of bail being alleged was the nightclub incident in connection with which Fiedler had been arrested.

Debono submitted that the AG’s clearly didn’t agree with the seriousness argument, “because she sent the case to be tried before a court where less grave cases are heard,” and pointed out that his client was not accused of drug trafficking.

The police had also felt him to be sufficiently trustworthy to release him on bail on Friday, added the lawyer. “He did not cause any problems and turned up when required.”

Moreover, the witnesses in question are police officers and the incident was captured on body cam footage, argued the defence, pointing out that he had been on bail for the past 6 years and had made progress in that time.

“His step father is Swiss, and he had a collection of Swiss knives under his bed,” submitted the lawyer.

The court asked the lawyer about the charges relating to assaulting the police officers. “He denies them. Even if there was a misunderstanding, the defendant is declaring his complete respect for the police and the work that they do.”

The defendant told the court that he worked on oil rigs and was “on call all the time.” His lawyer clarified that work-related travel while on bail had been permitted by courts, to which the inspector replied that she had not been informed of any changes to his original bail conditions.

The court, after hearing the submissions, said that while it appreciated the defendant’s position, in view of some of the charges it would be too early a stage to grant bail. A protection order was also issued in favour of the police constable allegedly assaulted.