Seven months jail for man who breached bail conditions

A man has been jailed for seven months for breaching several bail conditions, including failing to sign the bail book and leaving a drug rehabilitation programme a month earlier than required.

Miguel Gaffarena, 35, was found guilty of breaching the bail conditions imposed on him by the courts and relapsing on and before April 19.

Magistrate Tanya Sammut heard how Gaffarena failed to attend some court sittings and had not signed his bail book for weeks. Additionally, as part of his bail conditions, he was meant to attend a drug rehabilitation programme at San Blas, but he signed himself out a month before completing it. As a result, police were unable to locate Gaffarena and placed him on the wanted list.

Then, on April 19 at about 10.30pm, police noticed a man sitting on a pavement in Marsa who appeared unwell. He was identified as Gaffarena. After receiving medical assistance, he was arraigned and charged with breaching bail conditions, including failing to sign the bail book, being out beyond curfew, not residing at a fixed address, and other related breaches. He insisted that he was not aware he had to sign the bail book while in the rehabilitation programme.

The magistrate noted that he had breached several conditions and could not be trusted to abide by them again. He was therefore sentenced to seven months in prison, and the €600 bail deposit was seized.

Police Inspector Omar Zammit prosecuted.