Man admits to biting police officer in Pietà

A suspected thief who bit a policewoman when told that he was to be escorted to the Ħamrun police station has been granted bail pending a pre-sentencing report.

The incident happened on Tuesday morning when shop owners in Pietà approached the policewoman to report suspicious behaviour by a man who was seen roaming inside a shop. 

They claimed that it was not the first time that minor items had disappeared off the shelves. 

The officer spotted a man who appeared to match the description given by the shopkeepers and after taking a photo and confirming that it was indeed that same man, she approached him, asking for his identification documents.

However, the man, a 24-year-old Eritrean national, did not cooperate and said he had no documents to show. 

The officer called for assistance, telling the suspect that he was to be escorted to the nearby police station in a police vehicle. 

But at that point, the man turned aggressive, refusing to be handcuffed, shouting and swearing at the police. He then bit the officer on her right-hand finger. 

The man was later accompanied to a health centre for blood tests, given that he had bitten the victim. He also needed medication from hospital...