Youth fined €1,000 for drunken threat against police

An unruly drunk French youth who insulted and threatened the police has been fined €1,000 and handed a conditional discharge.

Police Inspector Leeroy Balzan Engerer arraigned Arnaud Eric Jacques Thomas, 25, before magistrate Aaron Bugeja on Saturday. The youth was accused of threatening police officers, breaching the peace, disobeying lawful police orders and being drunk and incapable of taking care of himself in a public place.

On 21 August at around 3am police had reacted to a report of an aggressive person in St. Georges’ Road Paceville. But despite the police’s efforts to calm the situation down, the accused had disobeyed the police, insulted and threatened them. He had to be restrained and taken to the police station.

In court today Thomas acknowledged that it was a “big mistake” on his part.

Lawyer David Camilleri, legal aid, entered a guilty plea on the man’s behalf.

“It seems that the accused had a party and overdid it. He was drunk. The incident was not his intention to insult the police but it was a result of his over-drinking,” said the lawyer. The fines in this case are substantial, he added, going on to say that the accused is not a tourist, but lives in Malta.

The accused did not injure the officers involved or damage any property, he emphasised.

Inspector Balzan said that such incidents were becoming a very common occurrence, happening every weekend.

The defence submitted that in this case the accused was drinking heavily as he was celebrating his birthday. As could be seen from his criminal record sheet he had no previous convictions, nor did he have any other brushes with the law. He further apologised for his actions, that were the result of his drunken state, said the lawyer.

The court, having seen the charges as well as the documents filed and that the accused pleaded guilty as charged as well as his public apology, found him guilty. Thomas was handed a conditional discharge for six months together with a fine of €1,000 payable within three months.