Man fined €700 after breaching bail for ice cream

Pierre Cremona, 40, of Balzan, was today fined €700 after a Criminal Court found him guilty of breaching bail conditions after police caught him eating an ice cream beyond curfew hours.

Cremona is currently out on bail after being charged with drug possession. He was apprehended by police yesterday night at around 11.30pm after being caught eating an ice cream 15 metres away from his Armier boathouse beyond curfew hours - the same boathouse which was targeted by a bomb in September 2013.

But in what turned out to be a very costly snack, the police claimed that Cremona's stroll breached bail conditions.

While admitting that Cremona’s actions were not “serious”, Inspector Malcolm Bondin nevertheless argued that bail conditions are there to be adhered to. In addition, the prosecution asked the court to order Cremona's re-arrest, and that he forfeits his €5,000 deposit and €15,000 personal guarantee.

Defence lawyers Franco Debono and Veronique Dalli argued that the accused was eating an ice cream at that time to control his sugar levels and that his wrongdoing was not a serious offence.   

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras fined the man €700 for breaching bail conditions and reprimanded him. The court however, did not order Cremona's re-arrest or that he forfeits his deposit and personal guarantee. 

Lawyers Franco Debono and Veronique Dalli were defence counsel.

Inspector Malcolm Bondin prosecuted.