Model Diandra Agius has been ordered by a court to pay Modelle International €6,000 for breach of contract after having been excluded from the Miss World Malta contest in 2009 when she did not turn up for related events.

In her defence, the Ms Agius claimed she did not know how to read. Furthermore, she pleaded that she had not been excluded from the contest  but had informed the organisers that she could not attend, for valid reasons, including her medical condition.

Sue Rossi and Claudia Dalli as representatives of Modelle International said they paid a licence to an international operator to organise the contest. The 25 selected contestants signed a contract regulating their participation.

Ms Agius signed the contract and attended various activities including a photo session. She also noted the filming dates.

However she did not turn up for a photo shoot and gave no notice for her absence, and it later turned out, through facebook, that she had spent the night out. She later took part in a TV programme - Singled Out on One - at the same time when she was supposed to be taking part in Miss World Malta.

The accused denied having spent the  night out. She also pleaded that she had suffered kidney stones problems and was in hospital for three days.

The court said, however, that the accused had not proved that the days when she was in hospital were the same dates when she was supposed to be at the contest events. It was clear, however, that the accused was not keen about the contest and had been seeking an excuse to get out of it.

The model was therefore ordered to pay €6,000 in damages to the contest organisers for breach of contract.