Man denies attacking two others outside Marsa Tiger Bar

A fight outside Marsa's Tiger bar has led to an Eritrean man being charged with attacking two men and threatening them with a knife.

Inspector Darryl Borg charged Jamal Osman Humed, 26, with attacking Asmeron Ayneta Haile and Abdi Hassan Ali Outside Tiger bar in Marsa yesterday afternoon and threatening to kill them.

Humed was also charged with exceeding the limits of provocation, carrying a knife in public without a police permit, breaching the peace, violating the conditions of a suspended sentence he was handed just two weeks ago and with relapsing.

Humed is believed to be the same person who was accused of locking his Maltese girlfriend first inside and then out of her home in February last year, after she told him that their relationship was over.

The court was told that Humed had been arraigned two weeks ago on practically the same charges he was facing today and had been handed a suspended sentence. He had repeated the offence despite the suspended sentence, said the officer.

Aside from the knife, a small amount of cannabis, amounting to under 1 gram was also found on his person, he added. Humed was also charged with simple possession of cannabis.

Assisted by an Arabic-language translator, the man who said he lives in Cospicua, pleaded not guilty. His lawyer Patrick Valentino requested bail.

Inspector Borg objected to bail, expressing doubts as to the man's claim of living in Cospicua and in view of the risk of him suborning or intimidating witnesses. The inspector pointed out that Humed had already been charged with threatening the same people just two weeks ago. 

Valentino suggested that his client could be prohibited from approaching the immediate area of Tiger Bar if granted bail.

The court upheld the request for bail, on condition that Humed doesn't change his address, does not approach or communicate with the two victims or enter the town of Marsa at all. He was also ordered to sign a bail book twice daily and observe a curfew.

He was ordered to leave a deposit of €300 and a personal guarantee of €2500 as security against his obedience of the bail conditions.