Handled stolen shotguns

A Pietà man was yesterday given an 18-month jail term suspended for two years and fined Lm250 for handling two stolen shotguns.

Joseph Pace, 28, pleaded guilty to handling the stolen guns, keeping and carrying the guns and ammunition without a licence and at the time of his arrest on and before February 27, 1999.

He also admitted to driving a car without number plates and driving without a licence or insurance cover.

On handing down judgment, Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera noted that Pace was genuinely trying to overcome his drug abuse problem. She also noted that he had cooperated with police and only had one conviction dating back to 1993 on his criminal record.

For these reasons the magistrate felt she could go below the minimum punishment prescribed by law. She also banned him from driving for a year.