Nine months for carrying unlicensed knife while on bail for drug charges

The court recommended that the man should be given the assistance he required to overcome his drug addiction

A man accused of carrying a knife in public whilst on bail for drug offences has been jailed.

Inspector Godwin Scerri charged Elliot Paul Busuttil with carrying a knife in public without a permit, breaching bail, committing an offence during the operative period of a suspended sentence, breaching the peace by making a noisy disturbance and relapsing.

The accused had released a statement to the police after refusing to consult with a lawyer, he said.

34-year-old Busuttil looked down at his feet as the prosecution and defence approached magistrate Monica Vella’s bench to discuss the case out of hearing range of the public.

In February Busuttil had been released on bail after being charged in connection with a police raid on a Bugibba drug den.

Lawyer Ishmael Psaila entered a plea of guilty on behalf of the accused. He asked that the man not be held at CCF but Mt Carmel and be admitted to a drug rehabilitation program.

Asked by the court, Busuttil said he understood the implications of pleading guilty and reaffirmed his plea.

In view of his admission of guilt, the court sentenced the man to a fine of €116 for the knife charge and 9 months imprisonment for the other charges, recommending that he be given the assistance he required to overcome his drug addiction.