Kirkop’s archpriest acquitted of harassing neighbour through bell ringing
Court concluded that the ringing of church bells could never amount to a criminal offence
Kirkop’s archpriest was acquitted of harassing a neighbour through the ringing of the parish church bells.
Fr Martin Cardona was charged in court and accused of harassing the neighbour. He denied the charges.
The neighbour owns a residence which is situated a few metres away from the main bell tower.
During the proceedings, it emerged that in the past, the bell rang every quarter of an hour.
However, the schedule was changed and the bells would only ring at particular times of the day.
For some time, the bells were out of use due to technical faults. Eventually, a mechanised system was installed to operate the bells.
The court concluded that the ringing of church bells could never amount to a criminal offence and acquitted the priest.
Magistrate Monica Vella presided.
Lawyer Stefano Filletti appeared for Cardona.