16-Year-Olds From Valletta And Floriana Charged Over Violent Gang Assault
The court case over an unprovoked gang assault that left one 15-year-old boy with a broken leg last weekend has begun.
The two males, whose names cannot be published by court order and are from Valletta and Floriana, appeared in court wearing suits, with the Magistrate allowing them to bring one parent into the courtroom each.
They were charged with causing grievous bodily harm, causing others to fear violence, attacking them and insulting them.
In court, Police Inspector Daryl Borg said that the boys were identified after CCTV captured parts of the assault. At the scene of the crime, one victim was unable to stand up following the attack, with medics confirming his leg was broken in two places.
One of the alleged attackers was served his court warrant at home in front of his parents, while the other was brought to the police station by his stepfather after being contacted by police.
Following the attack, parents across Malta said that they were terrified to send their kids to Valletta for a night out – with Prime Minister Robert Abela also saying he wouldn’t feel safe allowing his 10-year-old daughter to hang out there.
Saying that for years Valletta has struggled with “pockets” of youths who attack people unprovoked, Abela noted that even if the government were to double the number of police officers on the streets, these incidents would continue to happen.
“This is a phenomenon we have seen for years, where these pockets of individuals create incidents for no reason at all,” Abela said today.
He condemned the attack on youths that were “minding their own business”.
“Why this kind of attitude? This is where I appeal for responsibility in raising youths. As a parent, I’m responsible for instilling the right values into my daughter, so that she can live calmly and serenely in society.”
Check out our breakdown of the story in the latest episode of Lovin Lowdown
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What do you expect to see emerge from this court case?
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