A magistrate on Friday handed down a six-month jail term to an Algerian man who admitted to landing in Malta as a stowaway. 

Sid Ahmed Djellal, 39, was escorted to court after being taken into police custody on Thursday evening when found roaming inside the precincts of the Malta Freeport at around 9pm.

The man had travelled to Malta as a stowaway but in possession of genuine travel documents, the court was told. 

When questioned by the police, the man confessed that he had come to Malta in search of a job “because there was no work in Algeria”.

Upon arraignment, the man was charged with failing to supply the necessary information to immigration authorities, boarding the vessel without the captain’s consent as well as roaming within a closed area at the Freeport.

Through his Arab-speaking interpreter, the accused registered a guilty plea, confirming that admission even after being warned by the court that the charge carried a term of imprisonment. 

The man simply wanted to go back to his homeland, his lawyer explained. 

In light of that admission, the court, presided over by magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, condemned the accused to a six-month effective jail term. 

Inspector Christian Abela prosecuted. Lawyer Daniel Attard was legal aid counsel.