€3,000 fine for uninsured, unlicensed driving and cannabis possession

A 24-year-old man from Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq has been fined €3,000 after he admitted to being in possession of cannabis and to driving an uninsured vehicle without license plates, and driving without a licence.

Rodrick Grech pleaded guilty to all charges after the prosecution withdrew a separate charge of relapsing.

In deciding his sentence, the court took into account the accused’s early admission and his cooperation with police investigations. 

His probation officer, who had been following his case since August 2013, had told the court that he would attend appointments with her only infrequently and would consistently fail drug tests. He was currently seeking employment, she added.

The court also noted that he had previously been convicted of aggravated theft for which he had been given a suspended sentence in March 2014.

However in her judgment, Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras held that an effective prison sentence would be counterproductive and decided to impose the pecuniary penalty, payable in €100 monthly installments, alone. He was also disqualified from driving for a year.