A man who was on the run for months was handed a six-month jail term and forfeited almost €15,000 in bail bonds on Thursday.

Tyson Bugeja, 24, from Vittoriosa, had been on the police wanted list since early this year after repeatedly failing to sign the bail book, ignoring curfew hours and constantly giving officers the slip.

He was granted bail on three occasions, the earliest dating back to November 2018 after being arraigned alongside four other suspects and charged with beating and whipping Liam Debono, the teenager who stands accused of the attempted murder of a traffic policeman.

In January 2019, Bugeja was again granted bail after pleading not guilty as one of a trio who had allegedly wrecked his ex-girlfriend’s car outside her Zabbar home.

Some three months later, he was once again released from preventive arrest following another violent episode outside his ex’s home.

Prosecuting Inspectors Eman Hayman and Paul Camilleri told the court on Thursday that officers had been searching for Bugeja for the past months, ever since he repeatedly failed to abide by bail conditions.

Sensing the mounting pressure, Bugeja finally gave up, turning himself in at the district police station on Wednesday night.

On being taken to court on Thursday, he pleaded guilty to the various breaches of bail.

When making submissions on punishment his lawyer, Mario Mifsud, explained that Bugeja’s wrongdoing stemmed from a drug problem which he needed to address through rehabilitation.

Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, declared the accused guilty upon his own admission and condemned him to a 6-month effective jail term.

The court also upheld the prosecution’s request, ordering the confiscation of the various bail bonds totalling €14,600.