A 17-year-old girl who kept 11 cannabis joints for a boy she fancied has been fined €58 and given a reprimand after the court said she had been taken advantage of.

The girl, who cannot be named because she is a minor, was caught with the drugs at a party on May 1 at the Numero Uno club in Ta’ Qali. She told police that four days earlier the boy had asked to meet her in Qawra, and, finding him attractive, she went ahead. He asked her to keep the cannabis for him as he was afraid he might get caught.

He even asked her to give him €40 to make sure she gave the joints back. She refused and he accepted, but only after threatening her about giving them to anyone else or speaking about him.

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras said it was clear to the court, after observing her during proceedings, that her tender age, naivety and perhaps fancying the boy who supplied her with the drugs, led to her being taken advantage of.

It was also clear that she knew full well she was in possession of an illicit substance yet she had no idea of the risk she was taking by carrying the drugs for a third party.

While ignorance of the law was no excuse, it may be taken into consideration, the magistrate remarked.