15 people charged with homelessness in chaotic court sitting
'I do not understand how being homeless is a crime' - one of the accused
Fifteen people were taken to court on Thursday, following a police raid that targeted homeless people and beggars.
In a chaotic courtroom presided over by Magistrate Monica Vella, most of the accused were brought forward individually, except for a group of six who had to squeeze fit on the bench.
Two people were arrested in Sliema, two in Ħamrun, and the rest in Marsa. Among those arrested, four were Maltese, four Eritrean, four Somalian, and one each from Zimbabwe, Mali, and Egypt.
The accused were all charged with living an idle and vagrant life and begging. Some individuals were also charged with recidivism.
Seven of the people charged pleaded not guilty, while the rest pleaded guilty.
These arraignments follow a homelessness crackdown where a total of 28 people were arrested on Wednesday morning, 13 were found to be living in Malta illegally while the other 15 were suspected of homelessness and begging.
Inspector Gabria Gatt explained that these raids took place following multiple reports made by the public about people begging.
The inspectors insisted that while they arrested the individuals, they also offered them support and assitance.
During the first arraignment, the magistrate took note of the “dirty clothes” that some of the accused were wearing and asked the police to ensure that the accused are given the chance to "look after their hygiene" and get a change of clean clothes.
For those that pleaded guilty, the prosecution suggested that the accused face the maximum sentence so that they will have enough time to receive support.
“No! This is not for my own good, because I will be sent to prison and then sent out onto the street again,” a Maltese accused who pleaded not guilty shouted out.
In another arraignment there was a bit of confusion when the magistrate asked the accused whether they are guilty or not guilty.
Once inspector Attard tried to explain the question to the accused, the man responded that he could not understand how being homeless is considered a crime.
The ones who pleaded not guilty were all remanded in custody as they did not have a fixed residence.
Police Inspectors Gabria Gatt and Matthew Attard prosecuted.
The accused were represented by either legal aid lawyers Yanika Bugeja or Axel Camilleri.