A sixteen-year old boy who kicked down the door of his family home after his mother confiscated his tablet computer was given a stern telling off in court on Monday.
“Is this the way you repay your parents for all they do for you?” Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera asked the red-faced young offender standing in the dock.
Noting that the youth had already been taken to court on two previous occasions, magistrate Scerri Herrera asked about the boy’s family background.
Hearing that he was the eldest among six and led an idle life, neither studying nor working, the magistrate remarked that the youngster was not only causing his parents a headache but was also setting a bad example for his younger siblings.
“What is your problem?” the magistrate probed further, leading the teen to admit that he had flown into a rage when his mother refused to hand back his tablet.
“I asked her to give it back so that I could log out of Facebook and instead she just slammed the door in my face. I lost my temper and kicked the door open,” the boy concluded.
Yet for magistrate Scerri Herrera, the matter would not end there.
She pointed out that drugs had been mentioned in the boy's statement to police, prompting the youngster to admit that he meddled in synthetic drugs.
“Since you don’t work, how do you manage to acquire the drug?” pressed the magistrate. “I get hold of it!” the teen replied.
“That is your real problem” declared the court, adding that it was going to make sure that the young man either changed his ways or else faced the serious consequences of his actions.
READ: Court's words of advice to a young bicycle thief
In view of his admission to having caused voluntary damage to third party property, the court declared him guilty and placed him under a three-year Probation Order with a number of strict conditions, primarily that of steering clear of all types of drugs and appearing before the court every three months.
Warning the youngster that he was being given a last chance to mend his ways, the magistrate explained that he would have metaphorical sword dangling above his head for the next three years.
This was the second arraignment in three days of a minor getting into trouble on account of an underlying drug problem.
Last Friday, a 14-year old with a drug problem was remanded in custody, pending a pre-sentencing report, after admitting to stealing a bicycle.
Inspector Roderick Spiteri prosecuted. Lawyer Helga Buttigieg Debono was legal aid counsel.