Ethiopian mother returned to Malta gets suspended sentence

Jemila Usman Nuru, an Ethiopian mother, was this afternoon given a suspended jail term after she admitted to having absconded from Malta.

The 26-year-old mother arrived in Malta from Libya, however her request for asylum was refused.

She filed an appeal, but rather than waiting for the result, she fled to Italy, Denmark and eventually arrived in Sweden, where her fingerprints revealed that she had absconded from Malta. Swedish authorities returned Nuru to Malta.

The court heard how the young mother was already pregnant when she ran away and did not fear to travel.

Defence lawyer Alessandro Lia argued that the woman had a three-month old child and should be exempted from court proceedings as she was the sole bread winner for herself and her child.

Magistrate Anthony Vella ruled that being a mother does not exempt anyone from court procedures. He handed Nuru a six-month jail term suspended for two years.

Inspector Darren Buhagiar prosecuted.