Man who held a grudge jailed for three years for torching Toyota
The car was set ablaze following a disagreement between two men
A 23-year-old man has been jailed for three years after admitting setting fire to a car belonging to a man he held a grudge against.
Hamid Mohamad Yahia was sentenced by the Court of Magistrates in Gozo after changing his plea to guilty at the end of last month.
Police were called to a site in Xlendi on the night of April 30 and May 1, 2024, after being informed of a car ablaze on Triq ir-Ranċiż in Munxar.
The fire, which also damaged a nearby outdoor air conditioning unit, was put out by the Civil Protection Department.
A Toyota car was registered to Kanan Masab but owned by Mohammad Abdul Aziz, who told police he had parked the vehicle the night of the fire, at around 11.30pm.
CCTV evidence
He said he suspected Yahia, a Syrian man holding a temporary passport from Bulgaria, of being behind the arson attack due to an ongoing disagreement between the pair.
CCTV evidence examined by police suggested Yahia was involved, with footage from the fuel station showing the suspected arsonist wearing the same clothes, with distinctive marks, as the accused, who was carrying a container.
Yahia was later caught taking the ferry back to Malta, during which he was found to be wearing the same clothes as the suspect in the video.
The man fled to Italy by ferry, travelling in a Mazda Demio, before later being arrested in the Bulgarian capital Sofia on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant. Yahia was subsequently brought back to Malta.
He was accused of setting the car on fire, causing willful damage to third-party property, disturbing the repose of the inhabitants and breaching the public peace. Yahia also faced charges of driving without a licence or valid insurance cover.
Plea change
The man initially pleaded not guilty, only to change his plea at the end of last month.
In its considerations, the court observed that the accused had no previous criminal convictions and had reimbursed Aziz for the damages caused by the fire.
Despite these factors, the court could not ignore the serious crime that had been committed, however.
It remarked that this “irresponsible behaviour could have placed someone’s life at risk”, while noting the man had tried to evade the justice system by fleeing the country.
It upheld the prosecution and defence recommendation that the man should be jailed.
Jail and driving ban
The Court of Magistrates on Gozo jailed Yahia for three years, from which the time spent in preventive custody whilst awaiting extradition, and the time spent behind bars in Malta were to be deducted.
He was additionally fined €2,500, to be paid in monthly instalments.
The man was ordered to pay €450 in damages for the outdoor air conditioning unit and was disqualified from holding a driving licence for 12 months and eight days.
Yahia was also ordered to pay €3,747.84 in court expenses.
The man bound himself against €1,000 to keep the peace with Aziz.
Magistrate Jean Paul Grech presided.
AG lawyer Joseph Camilleri Azarov prosecuted, assisted by police inspectors Mario Xiberras, Kith Xerri and Keith Rizzo.
Lawyers Mario Mifsud and Nicholas Mifsud assisted the accused.