Students admit to causing €4,500 worth of damage to host family's apartment

Two French students’ summer studying English in Malta has cost them more than they bargained for, after they were convicted of causing criminal damage to the block of flats where they were being put up by a Maltese family.

Inspector George Frendo arraigned nurse Anna Laguibre, 24 and estate agent Tarkan Deffrasnes, 23, both from Bordeaux before magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras, accused of causing €4,559 worth of damage to the lift which served the Ta’ Xbiex apartment block where the host family lived.

The court was told that the Ta’ Xbiex host family was the second family asked to host the pair by their language school, after they got into trouble with their original host family.

Inspector Frendo told the court that the incident had been captured on CCTV, explaining that the pair had apparently grown impatient whilst waiting for the owner to arrive and had damaged the lift serving the block, as well as the front door.

Lawyer Daniel Attard, appearing on behalf of the accused said they were both pleading guilty to the solitary charge of criminal damage, with the court warning them that they could potentially go to prison for the offences.

The Inspector confirmed that the prosecution was not insisting on imprisonment and suggested that the accused be ordered to pay for the damage and issue an apology.

A suspended sentence was mooted, but parte civile lawyer Dean Hili pointed out that this would not force them to pay for the damage before they fly home on Friday. The defence confirmed that the accused had sufficient funds to pay and would pay for the damage within two days. 

The accused told the court that they would not object to being accompanied by the police to an ATM, but this was rejected because of cash withdrawal limits. Their lawyer suggested that their parents could wire the money from France by bank transfer within 24 hours.

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras, in view of the circumstances of the case, the accused's willingness to pay for the damage caused and their early guilty plea, sentenced the students to 18 months in prison, suspended for 4 years and ordered them to pay for the damage within 48 hours. Failure to pay would render the suspended sentence executable, the students were warned.