17-year-old youth charged with threatening, insulting mother

A 17-year-old youth is being held in juvenile detention after being charged with threatening and insulting his mother.

Inspector Oriana Spiteri arraigned the young man, who cannot be named by order of the court, before magistrate Astrid May Grima this morning.

The accused was charged with making verbal threats and insults towards his mother, using the violent Maltese phrase “inhabbtek mar-Redentur” whilst at the police station. He was also accused of threatening police officers who intervened in the argument.

Lawyer Martin Fenech, legal aid to the accused, entered a not guilty plea.

Bail was requested. The lawyer explained that the threat vis-à-vis the mother had been made in a heated argument at the police station which had escalated, adding that the accused’s mother was ready to accept him back home. The young man had “only insulted her verbally,” said the lawyer, adding that the same applied to the police. “It should not be that a 17-year-old goes to prison for something like this,” said Fenech.

Inspector Spiteri objected to bail, explaining that the accused was also charged with breaching probation on domestic violence charges. There are third parties still to testify, she said.

Bail was denied with the Court recommending that the accused be held at the Young Offenders unit until the next sitting, when the prosecution is to summon all of its witnesses.