Man charged for assault triggered by construction works near his home

A 40-year-old man from Tarxien has been charged with grievously injuring an Albanian construction worker, whose head he allegedly repeatedly banged against metal scaffolding in an altercation triggered by ongoing construction works adjacent to his home.

During Aaron Schembri’s arraignment before magistrate Rachel Montebello on Friday, the court was told that the defendant had attacked the victim on July 2, while the latter had been working at a construction site next door to Schembri’s home in Locker Street, Sliema.

The assault is believed to have been triggered after the defendant, who had long been unhappy living next to a construction site, found splashes of wet concrete on his property.

The prosecution said Schembri had first attacked one of the Albanian workmen, causing him grievous facial injuries, and then threatened to also assault the man’s employer when he had attempted to protect the victim.

Schembri denied the charges in court, filing a plea of not guilty and requesting bail.

The prosecution objected to his request for release from arrest, arguing that the six workmen who had witnessed the incident were yet to testify, but were overruled by the court, which upheld the bail request.

Lawyer Kathleen Calleja Grima was defence counsel.

Police Inspector Roderick Attard prosecuted, together with lawyers Federico Barbaro-Sant and Julian Scicluna from the Office of the Attorney General.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri assisted the victim as parte civile.