A man struggling with drug addiction has been placed on probation for two years and ordered to undergo treatment after admitting to threatening his elderly mother and brother when they refused to give him money.

The court heard that the mother, a pensioner, reported her son to the police in what was described as “a cry for help” to encourage him to confront his addiction.

Charles Fenech, 33, from St Paul’s Bay, pleaded guilty to threatening and harassing his mother and brother leaving them in fear and relapsing. The incidents occurred before and on November 20.

Police Inspector Omar Zammit testified before Magistrate Nadine Lia that, on Thursday at 9:30 pm, Fenech's mother had turned up to file a police report.

She explained that over the past weeks, her son, who has a drug problem, frequently called to demand money.

As a pensioner, she often obliged but admitted that when she could not afford to give him money, he resorted to shouting and making threats against her and his brother.

“He needs help. He recognised that he needs help,” the inspector stated.

Lawyer Jose Herrera, representing the accused alongside lawyer Martina Herrera, emphasized that his client was not a criminal but someone in need of support.

“He was hassling his parents,” Herrera said, adding that his client required professional intervention.

Herrera also highlighted a systemic issue, describing it as a “lacuna in our system.”

"There is an urgent need for action. There is no halfway house between prison and drug rehabilitation programme. When people leave jail, they often take drugs again but they can’t start a rehabilitation programme before they are clean of drugs for six months," he said. 

"This is also the reason why courts cannot send people to rehabilitation. We need a halfway house where they can stay during those six months when they are getting clean.”

The inspector concurred, acknowledging the need for the issue to be addressed.

“In such cases, the parents would not want jail for their child but help – so they come to police. It’s a cry for help,” he said.