French sailor admits to drunken assault on police

A French Navy sailor on a port call in Malta has been handed a suspended sentence and a fine after he admitted to assaulting two police officers who stopped him smoking inside a Paceville club.

20-year-old Joorun Enzo Jesus Patrice, part of the crew of the frigate La Motte-Picquet, was enjoying some shore leave last night when he was stopped from smoking inside the Havana club in Paceville by two police officers.

Patrice, who was also accused of being drunk and unable to take care of himself in public, then assaulted the two officers in their line of duty, slightly injuring a constable, after also having disobeyed and insulted them.

Defence lawyer Quentin Tanti entered a guilty plea on behalf of the accused, who he said wished to apologise for “any inconvenience which he had caused the police.” Tanti told the court that Patrice had stopped smoking immediately upon being warned by the police.

After giving the sailor a stern warning, Magistrate Francesco Depasquale found Patrice guilty as charged and handed him a four-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, together with an €800 fine which is to be paid before the accused's ship sails on 28 January.