Man fined €6,000 over sexually suggestive Facebook slur against Animal Welfare Commissioner

A court has slapped a €6,000 fine on a man who posted a sexually suggestive insult on Facebook under a MaltaToday article featuring Alison Bezzina, the commissioner for Animal Welfare.

38-year-old Clivert Schembri from Mgarr was sentenced in a district sitting before magistrate Monica Vella this morning.

The man was found guilty of several offences, including unlawful use of electronic communications equipment and sexual harassment, aggravated by the fact that the crime was committed against the victim in her capacity as a person entrusted with a public duty.

The Facebook comment which landed Schembri a hefty fine

Schembri had apologised to Bezzina in court after she had tendered her testimony.

Finding Schembri guilty as charged, Magistrate Vella ordered him to pay a €6,000 fine. Lawyer Edmond Cuschieri was defence counsel.

In comments to MaltaToday after the judgment was handed down, Bezzina said she had filed the police report as thoughtless comments can sometimes lead to more serious consequences. In the light of comments she had already received in the wake of the sentence, Bezzina also highlighted the fact that the fine is payable to the Government of Malta, not to her.