The court of appeal has overturned the release on bail of a man accused of domestic violence, actual bodily harm, harassment, issuing threats, and psychological violence, among other things the legal service announced on Monday, saying the court had found there was a significant risk of the man reoffending.

It said that the man faces a total of 11 charges, and that the court of appeal had been informed that he had previous convictions for theft and malicious damage, as well as other pending criminal cases against him, including sexual abuse of minors and the dissemination of child sexual abuse material.

However, it said, the court of first instance had found the prosecution had gathered “insufficient evidence to justify” holding the man in custody.

It said Attorney-General George Savvides had appealed this ruling, and that the court of appeal had found it is not necessary to “prove with certainty” that a suspect would reoffend for a court to be able to hold them in custody.

On this front, it said that there is “a strong impression that such a possibility exists, based on all the material placed before the court”, and also pointed out that a number of the charges in the present case relate to crimes allegedly committed while he was on bail after having been charged in other cases.

“We note again the fact that other cases are pending against the defendant in which conditions have been imposed on him to ensure his presence in court for the hearings. It appears that the offences attributed to him in the present case have been committed during the period in which he was on bail,” it said.

Given this to be the case, it added, “the court of first instance erred in deciding to release the defendant on bail”.

“The risk of reoffending is, in our opinion, beyond obvious, and has been proven, at this stage to the level required for this type of case, not only by the present indictment but by other cases pending against the defendant,” it said.

As such, the man will now remain in custody until he next appears in court.