by Matthew Agius
Wednesday April 19, 2023
Accused threatened food bank workers with a knife, while drunk
A man who allegedly threatened food bank workers with a knife, while drunk, has been remanded in custody.
Abdirizaq Hussein Galle, a 33-year-old Somali national residing at the open centre in Marsa, was charged with carrying a knife or cutting instrument in public without a police licence, insulting and threatening a third party, breaching the peace and causing a public disturbance while drunk and incapable of taking care of himself. He was taken into custody on 17th April at around 9:15pm near the Millennium Chapel in St. Julians.
Inspector Brian Xuereb told duty magistrate Leonard Caruana how the police had been informed that a man had pulled a knife on a person working at the Wishing Others Well centre, which is the social assistance arm of the Millennium chapel, after being refused entry due to his apparent drunken state.
The court was told how the defendant became aggressive and argumentative and at one point, had pulled out a knife from his trousers. After leaving the chapel, the defendant was spotted by the police near the Portomaso roundabout and taken into custody after being identified by the person who he had threatened with the knife.
The police found the knife, which was recovered from a nearby bush. The defendant was also found to be carrying a long metal food thermometer on his person, which was described in court as "electronic and non-functional." During his interrogation, Galle denied having had a knife, the inspector said.
The man pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. His legal aid lawyer, Martin Fenech, requested bail for his client, arguing that the majority of the charges were contraventions, and that Galle resided in the open centre in Marsa. However, Inspector Xuereb objected to the request, citing the lack of a fixed address and the ongoing investigation into the object which Galle had been carrying, which the police suspect to have been used to force entry into private property.
After hearing both parties’ submissions, the court turned down the request for bail.