A Maltese mother has taken to social media to ask for help after her son was allegedly beaten by police officers in a van.

Alongside an image of a man covered in bruises on his back, social media influencers like Terry ta’ Bormla have also joined in to ask what happened last night.

Speaking to Lovin Malta, the mother of the man, who is currently having his injuries checked by a medical team, explained what happened last night. After having a drink at a bar, the man headed to get a taxi home when police approached him asking him where his mask was, she said.

“He said he had forgotten it, and then they asked for his ID card,” she said. “It was late, so I called him and he answered but I only heard shouting and he told me ‘mum, they are attacking me, help me’… I started to panic. Then the phone cut.”

When her son finally came home, he said he couldn’t remember what happened exactly because he had been beaten. He said he had been thrown to the floor and even dragged inside a van.

“I didn’t believe him until he showed me his back, and I saw all those bruises and then I recoiled… if he deserved to be fined, that’s fair, but did he deserve to be slaughtered like this?” she asked. 

The mother since said that she’s been left feeling heartbroken over what happened to her son, especially since she says some of the bruises look like they were done with a police baton.

The family has been in contact with Superintendent Sandro Camilleri and has tried to contact Prime Minister Robert Abela over the incident.

Lovin Malta has sent questions to the police to clarify what happened last night. 

The mother’s since gone public with images of her son’s bruised back, and social media influencers like Terry ta’ Bormla have since shared her story.