Uninsured driver who threatened to stab motorist after car accident handed four year sentence

A dangerous unlicensed driver, who had threatened to stab another motorist after crashing into his car, has been jailed for four years and banned from driving for a year. 

44-year-old Stephen Galea from Mosta had been arraigned in court last December, charged with threatening the other motorist, carrying a pocket knife in public without a police permit, causing the other man to fear violence, dangerous and reckless driving, negligently causing damage to the other vehicle breaching bail conditions, driving the vehicle in question without a driving licence or insurance cover. 

He was also accused of breaching a curfew which was part of his previous bail conditions.

The court had heard how the victim had been driving in Vjal Millbrae in Mosta at around 2:30am on December 4, when he tried to switch to the outer lane in order to take the third exit on the roundabout. 

A BMW, travelling at “considerable speed” had then collided with him in a failed attempt to overtake.

After the collision, the BMW driver, who the victim had described as balding and in his mid-forties had emerged from his vehicle and, in a foul-mouthed rant, insisted that the victim had caused the crash. The victim recalled observing an unconscious woman in the passenger seat of the aggressor’s car.

But when the victim suggested calling the police or wardens, while the two men were in close proximity to each other, the BMW driver pulled out a pocket knife and pointed it at him, threatening to stab him with it. The victim had pushed him away, before attempting to calm the man down.  

This account was corroborated by a friend of the victim who had witnessed the incident from his own car while driving some distance behind them. 

Inspector Roderick Attard, prosecuting, had told the court how the police had traced the car’s registration number back to its registered owner, who confirmed that Galea was in possession of the keys.

The court observed that Galea had been outside during the night time, in violation of previously imposed bail conditions and had been driving without a licence or insurance cover - having already been convicted of the latter offence twice before. Neither did Galea have a licence to carry weapons in public.

In her considerations on punishment, magistrate Marseanne Farrugia noted that Galea already had no less than 8 previous convictions for offences such as vandalism, aggravated theft, inflicting slight injury, driving offences and causing fear of violence.

The evidence showed that Galea had a serious cocaine addiction problem and had opted to discharge himself from a residential rehabilitation program last year, after just 3 weeks.

He had not made use of the many opportunities afforded to him by the courts to address his problems, said the magistrate, noting that he had been on bail, was under two probation orders and had been given three suspended sentences. 

“However it appears that the defendant did not learn anything and continued to persist in his criminal journey.”

The court sentenced Galea to imprisonment for four years, disqualifying him from holding a driving licence for 12 months and confiscating his €2,000 bail deposit. A three-year restraining order in favour of the victim, which will come into effect on the date of Galea’s release from prison, was also imposed.