Man who kicked police officer in the head gets jail, will be repatriated

The man will be repatriated back to Tunisia after he serves his sentence, with the magistrate calling him 'a danger to society and a threat to public order and Police'

A magistrate has repeated his zero-tolerance stance on violence against police officers, saying that the police “must be protected whilst doing their work and nobody is excused -whatever the reason may be- for threatening or injuring police officers.”

Tunisian Abdell Raouf Mohfoudi Ali Hassan was charged with attacking, insulting and threatening officers whilst in the police lockup.  

Inspector Priscilla Caruana Lee had told Magistsate Joe Mifsud last month how the man had been in the police lockup when he had started to bang his head against the door. He was taken to Mater Dei Hospital for a check-up, but while there he had kicked a police sergeant in the head, slightly injuring him. Hassan was discharged from hospital and taken back into custody.

Police had then heard him smash a bathroom window and found him in the bathroom, broken glass in hand, about to cut himself.

Inspector Jeffrey Scicluna had explained that the man was then tasered. 

The court said it felt it must once again send the message to society that this attitude is not acceptable and would be punished.

“The police are there to protect the citizen and should not be placed in a situation where they are afraid of exercising their right to correct law-breaking individuals.”

The magistrate encouraged police officers to intervene wherever there is a breach of the law “with the intention of bringing harmony to the country.”

The police had a right to go home in one piece, uninjured and without the fear of having contracted some infection that takes weeks to diagnose.

The court found Hassan guilty of all charges and sentenced him to two years imprisonment, together with a fine of €5,000. His €2,000 bail guarantee was also seized. 

Magistrate Mifsud ordered that the man be forcibly repatriated to Tunisia after serving his sentence “because he is a danger to society and a threat to public order and the Police, more so to the average citizen.”