Violent drunk tasered in police station rampage, court told

A violent drunk, who had to be subdued with a taser gun after running amok inside the Msida police station yesterday, has been jailed for a year and lost his €5000 bail bond.

35-year-old Joseph Compagno was arraigned under arrest before magistrate Francesco Depasquale this afternoon, accused of having threatened 3 police officers yesterday, using obscene and offensive language in public, breaching the peace, disobeying police orders, being drunk and incapable of looking after himself in public, relapsing, breaching the conditions of a suspended sentence and breaching bail conditions imposed last year.

Inspector Mark Anthony Mercieca explained that the accused had started treatment for alcohol addiction three times but he would relapse every time he was sent back to prison.

"Every time he drinks there is trouble with the police.”

The man would get upset and vent his frustration on the police or his girlfriend, he said. On this occasion, the inspector said, Compagno had gone to the Msida police station whilst completely inebriated and had caused such a violent commotion that he needed to be tasered.

Lawyer Noel Cutajar entered a guilty plea on behalf of the accused, who asked the court for assistance with his alcohol addiction. “Once I start drinking I just don’t stop,” he said.

The court, after seeing the man’s admission and after taking into account his circumstances as well as his bail conditions, revoked his bail and confiscated his €5000 personal guarantee, warning that it would be converted into an additional prison stay should he fail to pay it. It also condemned Compagno to one year in prison, ordering the authorities at Corradino Correctional Facility to immediately give the man all the assistance required to overcome his alcohol addiction.