Court acquits man of breaching his probation order

A 28-year-old man from Pieta has been cleared of breaching his probation order, after a court found that the only condition breached was due to a documented medical issue.

Nigel Dingli is serving a conviction after pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm in 2020.

As part of that order, he was obligated to comply with all the conditions issued by his assigned probation officer. The court had additionally clarified the legal implications of failing to abide by the conditions of the order.

The case presented to the court involved a report submitted by the probation officer claiming that Dingli had not supplied urine samples when asked—a condition deemed essential for supervision.

Throughout the proceeding, the probation officer stated that this was the only challenge faced during the supervision period.

However, Dingli claimed that he has a psychological condition that prevents him from giving urine samples when others are present. Medical certificates were submitted in court, along with documentation from a specialist supporting this claim.

The defence argued that the inability to supply samples was not a wilful refusal but resulted from a documented medical issue. In its reasoning, the court highlighted that the report claiming non-compliance was submitted in July 2025, three months prior to the expiration of the probation period.

The magistrate noted that, apart from the urine sample concern, Dingli had followed the directives given by his probation office. The court also reviewed the medical records submitted and acknowledged that the failure to provide samples was justified in the circumstances.

For these reasons, the court determined that Dingli was not guilty of breaching the probation order.