Convicted brothelkeeper gets suspended sentence for threatening police officers in courtroom incident

A woman who had threatened to exact her revenge on two police inspectors after being found guilty of running a brothel last May, while still in the courtroom, has been handed a suspended sentence after admitting to related charges. 

Pawlina Cutajar, 28, from Gzira was, however, acquitted of threatening the magistrate who had handed down the sentence, with the court noting that the prosecution had not produced any evidence to support this charge.

Inspectors Daryl Borg and Gabriel Micallef had charged the woman with insulting and threatening magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech during the exercise of her judicial duties and doing the same to police inspectors Jonathan Cassar and Roxanne Tabone who were also discharging their duties.

Cutajar had also been accused of disobeying legitimate orders, attacking the police officers and the magistrate, voluntarily breaching the peace, blaspheming in public and recidivism.

During the woman’s arraignment on May 2,  the court was told that Cutajar had reacted violently to being found guilty of running a brothel, the day before.

As proceedings began, her lawyer Roberto Montalto, had dictated a note, in which he informed the court that his client was making “a full and unconditional apology” to everyone involved, “to magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech and in particular the Inspectors Jonathan Cassar and Roxanne Tabone.”

“On a personal level, she is apologising to Inspectors Jonathan Cassar and Roxanne Tabone, who her inconsult words and actions were directly addressed.”

The lawyer had denied that his client had insulted or threatened the magistrate, insisting that her words had only been directed at the police inspectors.

In her decision, finding the woman guilty on her own admission, magistrate Gabriella Vella noted that the guilty plea had been filed at an early stage of the proceedings and that the accused had issued an apology to the Magistrate and the police inspectors.

Cutajar was sentenced to imprisonment for six months, with her sentence being suspended for four years. She was also fined €800

The court also issued a three-year restraining order, prohibiting Cutajar from approaching the police inspectors, on pain of a €7000 fine.

Cutajar had been handed a suspended sentence by Magistrate Frendo Dimech after she was found guilty of running a massage-parlour brothel, together with her partner Johan Sultana. Sultana had been jailed for 3 years after he was found guilty of running a brothel and money laundering.

Inspectors Daryl Borg and Gabriel Micallef prosecuted.

Lawyer Roberto Montalto was defence counsel to Cutajar.