A doorbell prank by a group of schoolboys earned one of the boys a beating and racial abuse by an angry resident, a court heard this week. 

The incident took place in Rabat last year when one April afternoon, when a group of teens heading home after school rang the doorbell of a private residence and then ran off, vanishing out of sight.

But one of the kids lagged behind, long enough to get caught.

The door opened and out came a woman who, evidently annoyed by the unwelcome disturbance, grabbed the 13-year old and struck him with such force that his hearing was momentarily impaired, the court was told.

While she soundly beat the boy, the woman allegedly made offensive comments about his skin colour. 

On Friday, Amanda Grech appeared in court under summons, facing charges for having allegedly caused the minor slight injuries and also with incitement to racial hatred. 

Her lawyer informed the court that his client intended to register an admission.

In view of that admission, Magistrate Monica Vella, presiding over the district sitting, warned the accused that the charges carried a possible jail term. 

After being given time to reconsider, the woman confirmed her admission.

Meanwhile the young victim, smartly dressed in a suit, stood silently beside his father and lawyer, not uttering a single word.

Although the boy was prepared to testify about the incident, the court would not hear further evidence once the accused had registered a guilty plea.

“We are living in a society where one cannot just grab a 13-year-old, beat and kick him, say certain words concerning his skin colour as though nothing happened,” started off the victim’s lawyer, Charles Mercieca, when making submissions on punishment.

However defence lawyer, Ishmael Psaila, countered that the court had to take into consideration the particular circumstances leading to the incident.

That prank had apparently not been a one-off hit but an unwelcome and recurring disturbance for the accused, whose doorbell seemed to ring mysteriously while she was at home. 

After considering the particular circumstances of the case and without playing down the gravity of the incident, the court bound the woman under a personal obligation for a term of one year, against a penalty of €2,000, to safeguard the safety of the victim. 

Since the prosecution had not exhibited the woman’s criminal record, the court considered her as a first-time offender. 

“Such behaviour is not acceptable by anyone, even if provoked by the victim,” warned the court when meting out punishment. 

Inspector Roderick Attard prosecuted.