AFM drug heist suspect jailed over use of pepper spray during Ħamrun altercation
Yousef Essesi was also found guilty of breaching public peace
A 33-year-old who is one of the suspects in the AFM drugs heist has been jailed for five months over a separate altercation in Ħamrun when he was also found in possession of pepper spray.
Yousef Essesi, from St Paul's Bay, was handed the effective prison sentence after he was also found guilty of breaching public peace.
The altercation was reported on February 3, 2025, on Triq il-Kbira San Ġużepp, both inside and outside a tattoo parlour In Junction.
Officers from the Rapid Intervention Unit responded to reports of an argument between Essesi and another man, Keith Pace, who is also known to the police.
Though the situation appeared calm upon the arrival of law enforcement, a major commotion soon erupted on the street.
Pace alleged that Essesi had pointed a firearm at him and sprayed him with pepper spray.
Following a search of the premises, police discovered a canister of pepper spray hidden behind a portable air conditioner, alongside an airsoft gun resting on a computer chair.
Essesi confirmed in his police statement that he had used the pepper spray because three men had entered his shop.
The prosecution's case regarding violent assault collapsed in court. The alleged victim, Pace, along with other witnesses, specifically the victim’s sons, Cleaven Pace and Carlos Pace, refused to testify to avoid incriminating themselves.
Furthermore, no medical certificates were presented to the court to prove that any injuries had been sustained.
Due to this total lack of evidence, the court had no choice but to acquit Essesi of causing bodily harm, making threats, using obscene language, and carrying a weapon during the commission of a crime against a person.
Regarding the weapons charge, the court ruled that the possession of pepper spray is strictly prohibited under the laws of Malta.
Essesi was ultimately found guilty of possessing the prohibited pepper spray, breaching the public peace, and being a recidivist.
During sentencing, the court weighed Essesi's voluminous criminal history.
Essesi has other ongoing court cases, and among others stands accused, alongside four other men, in connection with the theft of 132 kilograms of cannabis from a container under the custody of the Armed Forces of Malta.
A court representative presented a lengthy list of previous judgments against him, which included various fines and suspended sentences.
Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo noted that Essesi had been given multiple opportunities by the justice system to reform and step away from a life of criminality, yet he had completely failed to learn from them.
Consequently, the court determined that an effective prison sentence was the only appropriate course of action, sentencing Essesi to five months behind bars.