Police respond to claims of violence - by pressing charges against victim
Incredible but true: St Julian’s police issue court summons against an 18-year-old woman – currently at the centre of police harassment and misconduct allegations – on the same day that MaltaToday published the story, and over two months after her alleged ‘crime’
Karl Stagno-Navarra
In response to serious allegations of physical and verbal harassment by its own officers, the St Julian’s Police have turned the tables onto the alleged victim and are now prosecuting her for the ‘crime’ of walking on a beach with a Chihuahua-sized dog in her handbag.
Additional charges include disobeying police orders, and not giving them her details when asked.
The court summons was stamped and signed by Inspector Bernard Spiteri of the St Julian’s Precinct on Sunday 23 August – a full 72 days after the above alleged ‘offence’ took place on June 12, and on the exact same day as our Sunday newspaper revealed details of the woman’s subsequent ordeal at the St Julian’s station.
Late yesterday the police’s media unit (CMRU), replying to MaltaToday’s questions, claimed that the charge was originally issued on 16 June, and that the recipient was formally notified yesterday (25 August) after a date for the hearing was fixed by the law-courts.
However, the date of the stamp on the summons, visible in the illustration on this page, shows that the actual document was processed by the police on a Sunday – unusual in itself, and doubly unusual considering that it was the same Sunday when the victim’s allegations were published in this newspaper.
MaltaToday readers are free to draw their own conclusions.
As for the woman’s allegations, these include serious crimes such as verbal harassment, violent and aggressive behaviour resulting in severe bruising, and that she was threatened by the police in an attempt to discourage her from reporting the incident.
However, while the police were quick to process charges against her for relatively trivial crimes, her own report of police misconduct has not yet been processed, and certainly no court summons have yet been delivered to the four police officers concerned.
In addition, while the police answered questions regarding the timing of the court summons, other questions regarding the identity of the police officers at the centre of the allegations have to date been ignored.
Meanwhile the young woman, who has since vowed to fight for justice, has stated that she is ready to appear before any court and answer to the police charges, but is also ready to appear before the Police Internal Investigations Unit to relate her ordeal at the hands of the St Julian’s police.
“Now that I see that the police have stooped so low, I will not give them peace, and will seek justice in all its forms,” she said, while adding that she came forward with her story only after she had received no news from the Superintendent who was meant to investigate her formal complaint.
“They threatened to tarnish my conduct sheet, and this is what they are trying to do to discredit me, but I will fight it,” she said yesterday.
Asked to comment about the issuing of a court summons against the woman on the same day the story was revealed – a full two months after the alleged crimes – the Home Affairs ministry shrugged off any responsibility and replied with two lines: “The police, not the Ministry, issue summons after a case is allocated a court sitting. Your query should thus be directed to the Police Corps.”
Police cover-up MaltaToday revealed last Sunday that the woman had originally filed her complaint before Superintendent Sharon Tanti, who oversees the St Julian’s precinct, who in turn asked her not to take the case to the Floriana HQ, but rather to leave it in her hands.
“I trusted the officer, and that is what I did,” the victim said, adding that it was the only reason why she did not take the case further until now.
The previous Wednesday, the CMRU formally denied the fact that a report was made: only to correct its position last Friday by admitting the incident took place and that investigations had since been initiated. (see letter on page 14).
The incident involving the young woman happened on June 12 when she walked on the sand in St George’s Bay with her small dog in her handbag.
A Malta Tourism Authority warden came forward and said that it was illegal to have a dog on the beach. The woman replied by telling the warden that there were no signs that prohibited dogs on the beach; and besides, the dog was inside her bag and not on the sand.
The warden called for police assistance and a car was dispatched from the St Julian’s police station sped to the scene with three officers, who later became four, as a woman constable was also called in to assist.
The police allegedly started to argue with the woman, and pushed her onto a bench, prohibiting her from leaving the scene.
Shocked at the aggressive tones used by the police, the young woman panicked and started to cry, and it was here that the police officers allegedly dragged her into a police car and sped to the St Julian’s police station.
There she was again subjected to more verbal abuse, as being a “kiesha”, “Tal-Pepe’”, and a “whore”. She was then dragged and slammed into a cell, while her dog was left outside and his leash tied to the cell bars.
At this point the young woman felt unwell. Later, she was certified by a doctor to be suffering from shock and severe bruising.
The details of her alleged ordeal were all documented and brought to the attention of Superintendent Sharon Tanti. However, more than two months later no action appears to have been taken: instead, the only person facing criminal action is the alleged victim herself.
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