Homeless man found living on the street, taken to hospital, before being arrested

A 44-year-old man has been remanded in custody after being found drunk and incapable of taking care of himself on a Lija pavement yesterday evening. 

Portuguese national Jorge Miguel Martins Sequeira Rodrigues, who has no fixed address in Malta, was charged with disturbing the public peace, being drunk in a public place, living a vagrant and idle life, and being a recidivist. 

At around 6:35pm on Monday, police received a call reporting a man sitting on the pavement in Triq it-Trasfigurazzjoni, in Lija. Officers found Rodrigues covered with a jacket and heavily intoxicated. He bore a visible scar on his arm and initially refused to give his identification to medical staff at a health centre. After receiving treatment, he was escorted to the lock-up.

On Wednesday, Rodrigues was asked whether he wished to return to the health centre, but instead told police that he wanted to speak to the inspector.

In court, Rodrigues pleaded not guilty to the charges. He explained that he had originally come to Malta as a tourist but decided to remain because he liked the weather and found work. He said he had been living in a flat in Gozo. 

The court questioned whether the accused could truly be considered homeless, but ultimately ordered that he be remanded in custody due to his lack of a fixed residence.

The magistrate directed the accused to be escorted to the correct category of court due to the conventional charges. 

As the sitting concluded and the accused had been escorted out, Rodrigues suddenly came back in and shouted, “I plead guilty!” He was then pulled out by the inspector. The accused will be remanded in custody due to the lack of a fixed address. 

The prosecution was led by Inspector Ylenia Scerri, while legal aid lawyer Yanika Bugeja appeared for the defence. Magistrate Victor Axiaq presided over the case.