Homeless man jailed after found asleep on Sliema bench with bags of bottles
Man says he stopped for a rest after finding BCRS machine out of order
A homeless man was jailed for two months after police officers found him asleep on a bench in Sliema with nothing except two bags of empty plastic bottles.
Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi found the accused, Yonathan Esseyas Affewerki, 35, guilty of living an idle and vagrant life and of failing to try to find a job. However, he was cleared of begging due to a lack of evidence.
Police sergeant Christian Mintoff testified that on the night of September 10, at around 4.50am, Affewerki was found asleep in a gazebo in Sliema, close to Manoel Island. He had no means of supporting himself, except for collecting plastic bottles.
He appeared unkempt, wearing clothing in poor condition. Affewerki cooperated fully with the police during their inquiry. He stated that he had previously been employed as a chef and had once resided in a homeless shelter operated by the YMCA.
On the night in question, he explained, he had been collecting bottles in Paceville before walking to Sliema. Upon discovering that the BCRS machine there was out of order, he decided to stop and rest. BCRS machines refund a 10c deposit on returned single-use drink containers through redeemable vouchers.
He also said that he had left his identity document in a room he rented in Ħamrun but was unable to provide an address. The magistrate was not convinced that the accused was telling the truth about having a place to stay. He found him guilty and jailed him for two months.
This was the most recent in a series of arraignments involving homeless people following raids being carried out by police across the islands.
NGOs have criticised the police action targeting homeless people, warning that the authorities' approach has “put homelessness in Malta back 20 years”.