Traveller fined over 'lucky charm' bullet

A woman’s lucky charm proved to be the opposite after it landed her in court under arrest and earned her a €700 fine this morning.

34-year-old Andrea Gocmanac from Serbia was arraigned in court on Saturday morning, having been arrested at the airport yesterday evening, when airport security staff found her to be carrying a live round of ammunition in her wallet. The round had been detected on a scanner.

Inspector Christian Abela charged Gocmanac with importing a prohibited munition and carrying it in a public place without the required licence, in breach of the Arms Act.

The woman admitted the charges.

Her lawyer, Charmaine Cherrett explained that her client carried the live .22 calibre round in her wallet as a “good luck charm”. The lawyer argued that her client had cooperated fully with the police and had not intended to break the law.

Gocmanac was found guilty on her own admission and ordered to pay a €700 fine, payable over the span of three months.

Lawyer Charmaine Cherrett assisted the accused as legal aid.