Drunk student smashed car windscreens to sleep inside, court told

The student was handed a suspended sentence and ordered to pay nearly €4,400 in damages

A Chilean student who smashed a rental car’s windows to sleep inside it after a night of drinking has received a rude awakening this afternoon, after he was ordered to pay nearly €4,400 in damages, and handed a suspended sentence.

Inspector Matthew Spagnol arraigned Nicolas Jesus Rivera Cordero, 25, before magistrate Charmaine Galea today, accusing him of committing voluntary damage to property, trespassing and being drunk and incapable of taking care of himself in a public area.

Cordero had been somewhat the worse for wear when he decided it would be a good idea to smash the front and rear windscreen of a Nissan belonging to Meli Car Rentals, in order to crawl inside and fall asleep, during the night of the 24 September in St. Julian’s.

In court this afternoon, a rather sheepish-looking Cordero pleaded guilty to the charges, after the court warned him that he faced a maximum of 4 years in prison for the offence.

He was eventually sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for four years and ordered to pay €4,397 to Meli Car Rentals Ltd before leaving Malta. Cordero pledged to pay the full amount before his scheduled return flight on 5 November.

Lawyer Josette Sultana was legal aid.