VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Two Italian teenagers have been convicted after admitting to vandalising four parked cars in Swieqi and apologising for their actions.
A 18-year-old and a 17-year-old youth, who cannot be named, were arrested at Malta International Airport on Thursday evening as they prepared to leave Malta.
The court heard that a group of six youths was captured on CCTV damaging parked vehicles in Triq il-Qugħ at around 5am on Thursday.
The two teenagers were accused of causing substantial damage to two Mercedes-Benz cars and a Fiat, as well as minor damage to another Fiat.
The 17-year-old was also accused of taking a helmet from a parked motorcycle and pulling a T-shirt over his head to conceal his identity.
Both students pleaded guilty and expressed remorse, offering an unconditional apology to the vehicle owners and the Swieqi community.
They also agreed to immediately pay €2,021 in damages.
Police inspectors Pierguido Saliba and Christian Xuereb told the court that Paoli had fully cooperated, while the 17-year-old had exercised his right to silence.
Magistrate Giannella Camilleri Busuttil sentenced Paoli to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, while the minor received an eight-month suspended sentence.
Following the ruling, both teenagers were handed over to immigration authorities for deportation proceedings.
Home Affairs Minister Glenn Bedingfield warned that visitors who misbehave in Malta would face consequences, saying the country was “nobody’s playground”.
Swieqi Deputy Mayor Jordan Galea Pace welcomed the outcome and suggested community service could be considered in similar cases.
“If you damage a community, why not give something back to it?” he said, urging visitors to respect Malta and its communities.
-Photo Net News-
(ITALPRESS).
