A man landed back in court after failing to complete 280 hours of community service imposed upon him for making a hoax bomb threat at the law courts in 2016.

Ahmad Yassine, 39, had been given a €10,000 fine and 280 hours of community work after he was convicted of calling the Valletta law courts customer care desk on that November morning, telling the receptionist that a bomb had been planted inside the building. 

That call was subsequently traced back to the accused. 

It turned out that on that day, the man was due to attend a hearing in separation proceedings before the Family Court. 

The court, presided over by magistrate Joseph Mifsud, had rapped the man for such “a premeditated act” and branded him “a coward” for resorting to such criminal behaviour rather than face his wife in court.

Following his conviction, the accused had paid the €10,000 fine but had only clocked up 102 hours of community work, even less than half the number of hours set down by the court. 

On Tuesday, over three years after his sentencing, Yassine was back in court to answer for the shortfall, landing a fine of €232.94 and prompting comments by magistrate Mifsud who lamented the “second-rate” laws whereby the courts could only impose such a “ludicrous” fine for non-completion of community service. 

A senior court official had testified during criminal proceedings against Yassine explaining that, at the time, 400 civil servants at the law courts cost the taxpayer some €4,390 per hour in wages. Since the bomb scare had lasted two hours, taxpayers would have forked out €8,780 for wasted manpower.