Gozitan men punished for illegal trapping and hunting

Two Gozitan men have been fined after admitting to illegal hunting and trapping practices

Both of the accused admitted to the charges against them
Both of the accused admitted to the charges against them

A 62-year-old Gozitan man has been fined €3,000 and had his hunting licence suspended for two years after he admitted to trapping protected species outside the village of Kercem in Gozo.

Inspector Edel Mary Camilleri had charged Emmanuel Camilleri with using illegal nets, as well as to having hunted without the necessary licence.

Camilleri admitted to the charges.

The court of magistrates in Gozo, presided by magistrate Joe Mifsud allowed the accused to pay the fine in €100 monthly installments, warning that a missed payment would result in his incarceration.

In a separate case, the same court imposed a €1,000 fine on Sunny Camilleri, 28, from Zebbug in Gozo, ordering the confiscation of his shotgun and the suspension of his hunting licence for two years after he, too, admitted to hunting near Kercem during the closed season and to relapsing.

Camilleri had been arraigned together with two other men, who were however cleared due to lack of evidence.

Magistrate Mifsud praised the commitment shown by Birdlife Malta and the FKNK to keep hunting within the legal limits.

Inspector Bernard Charles Spiteri prosecuted.