A young man has been conditionally discharged following a drunken clash with police early on Sunday morning.

Abd Alraheem Aboulqasim Ali Bashah, a 21-year old Libyan national with no fixed address in Malta, ran into trouble by stirring up some commotion at the Valletta bus terminus on Sunday, at around 8am.

When approached by four policemen, he allegedly refused to supply his personal details, verbally assaulting the officers and kicking up a fuss.

He was arrested and escorted to court on Monday, sitting all sober and quiet, holding on to his rucksack as the arraignment got underway.

He was charged with insulting and threatening the officers, verbally assaulting them, refusing to obey legitimate orders, wilfully breaching the peace, being drunk in public, refusing to supply his details as well as leading an idle and vagrant life.

He registered an admission.

Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, observed that in his police statement, the accused had said that he went to Marsa and waited for someone “pick him up” and hand him some odd job.

“Show some self-respect. Go and register for work to get protection. Unless you respect yourself, no one else will,” the court urged the young man.

After hearing submissions on punishment the court conditionally discharged the accused for three years, after considering his early guilty plea, the fact that he subsequently cooperated with the police as well as the fact that he had no fixed employment.

However, if he were to break the law again during that 3-year term, he would land back in court facing punishment for both today’s charges and the new offence, warned the court.

Inspector Daryl Borg prosecuted.

Lawyer Daniel Attard was legal aid counsel.