A teenager who told the police that he had been living in the common area of a St Paul’s Bay block of apartments after having to move house at short notice, ended up in court on Thursday after cannabis grass he had stocked up for his own use was found in his suitcase. 

The youth’s suspicious presence inside the block was flagged by a concerned resident who called the Qawra police station saying that a stranger who did not seem to have access to any apartments had been living inside the block since Saturday. 

The caller’s concerns went up a notch on Tuesday evening when the stranger placed a cloth over the CCTV camera screen fixed outside the resident’s flat, blocking out the resident’s vision of the common area. 

The call, at 9.30pm, triggered a visit by the police who soon confirmed the presence of Viktor Vujovic , an 18-year-old Serb, whose only possessions were packed inside a suitcase and a bag he was carrying. 

He was escorted to the nearby police station and searched. 

Some 74.41 grams of cannabis grass were inside his suitcase. The young man claimed he took cannabis some three times a day and he had bought the drug at a cheap price for personal use. 

Although his identity could not be established immediately because he was not carrying his personal documents, while detained at the police station he contacted his brother through Instagram asking him to bring his documents which were later dropped near a Qawra shop and handed to the police. 

Upon his arraignment on Thursday, the youth was charged with possession of cannabis, violation of the residents' personal property and leading a vagrant and idle life while lingering inside the apartment block where he was ultimately arrested. 

Assisted by a legal aid lawyer, the accused registered an admission. 

Prosecuting Inspector Christian Cauchi informed the court that the accused had cooperated and that the circumstances wherein the drug was found appeared to indicate that it was indeed for personal use. 

Moreover, the youth had a clean criminal record. 

The prosecution did not call for an effective term of imprisonment. 

The defence further highlighted the accused’s early guilty plea and explained that he had been carrying the drug inside the suitcase because he was moving home. 

He had previously been living with a friend at an apartment and ended up temporarily homeless when his friend moved out. 

He had been trying to find a new home at short notice when caught by the police, his lawyer explained. 

As for the drug found in his possession, the accused had no idea as to the legal limit of cannabis in terms of Maltese law. 

He had bought the drug in bulk so as to meet his daily needs, the court was told. 

After hearing submissions, the court, presided over by Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi, fined the accused €1,100 and another €100 (a lesser form known as ammenda) payable in monthly €100 instalments after being informed that the accused was employed locally.