Valletta graffiti vandal fined, ordered to perform community service

Cesare Citriniti, a 37-year-old Italian from Swieqi has been handed a community service order after pleading guilty to spraying graffiti on various buildings in Valletta.

During the man’s arraignment on July 11, during which he had pleaded guilty, Inspector Priscilla Caruana Lee had told the court that the man had daubed the word “Kotone” on a number of prominent sites in the capital city.

Sentencing the accused this morning, Magistrate Nadine Lia observed that Valletta is a UNESCO world heritage site and “one of the most concentrated historical areas in the world.” Thousands of people pass through the city daily, she said.

The cost of repairing the damage caused by the man should not be borne by the State, said the court. Magistrate Lia said she was of the opinion that it would be better to impose a community service order rather than sentence the man to imprisonment.

In view of his guilty plea Citriniti was condemned to 450 hours of community service to be carried out in Valletta within 2 years. The court also imposed a €7500 fine and ordered he pay €2000 in compensation to the Valletta local council.

Lawyer Victor Bugeja assisted the accused.