Man jailed after trashing government office to avoid COVID-19 temperature scan

A man in Gozo has been jailed for three-and-a-half years for punching a man and trashing a government department office before going on the run, all to avoid a COVID-19 prevention measure.

The 25-year-old Somali national, Abdifaid Mhahdi Mahamud, who resides in Munxar, was arraigned before Magistrate Monica Vella on Wednesday. He was accused of slightly injuring a public servant, criminal damage to the E-Residence Office at St Francis Square in Victoria and breaching the peace. 

The incident in question took place on 13 April at around 9:45am where Mahamud ran amok after refusing a routine temperature-scan for COVID-19. After punching an engineer who worked there, he smashed an employee’s laptop, destroyed a fingerprint reader and shattered an SLR camera lens and tripod.

Mahamud then went on the run, where he remained before he was finally found and taken into custody by the police.

In court this morning, Mahmoud pleaded guilty to the charges and was jailed for three-and-a-half years. 

Inspector Josef Gauci prosecuted.