A teenager who happened to accompany a suspect in a criminal investigation to the police station ended up being prosecuted and fined for illegal possession of drugs.
Marlon Baldacchino, a 19-year-old from Żabbar, was a passenger in a Smart driven by Luke Vella, when the latter visited the local police station for his regular signing of the bail book, one evening in November last year.
Criminal investigations at the time had been targeting Mr Vella as a possible suspect.
While the man entered the police station, an inspector checked upon the young man, seated in the car outside, idly rolling up some tobacco.
A soon as the officer asked him to get out and supply his personal details, the youngster blurted out that the tobacco was his. He also handed over a black pouch containing more of the same substance.
A search of the vehicle yielded a couple of pills, mobile phones, a penknife and some €40 in cash.
The man was subsequently charged with possession of cannabis and cocaine, as well as with breaching bail conditions, admitting that the drugs were for his own personal use.
A court-appointed scientific expert confirmed that the substances found in the accused’s own hands and inside the pouch right next to his feet at the time of arrest, were 0.17 grams of cocaine of 15% purity and 0.459 grams of cannabis of 6% purity.
The court, presided over by magistrate Josette Demicoli, declared the accused guilty of the illegal possession upon the evidence put forward, but cleared him of breaching bail since the prosecution had not provided an identity match to prove that they were referring to the same person.
When meting out punishment, the court observed that in spite of his young age, the accused had already landed three convictions.
A probation officer had reported that the accused had still not grasped the fact that he needed to get a regular job and to take his work seriously so as to overcome his drug habit.
In light of such circumstances, the court imposed an €800 fine and ordered him to pay €292 in court expert expenses.