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16 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 4 JANUARY 2023 NEWS ACROSS 1) Completely wreck 6) Hindu melody 10) Like khakis 14) Walled city of Spain 15) Airline with a King David Club 16) ___ avis 17) "Olympia" painter Edouard 18) Pear-shaped instrument 19) Has a mortgage, e.g. 20) Atlas map data 22) Confined, with "up" 23) Henhouse raider 24) Carmen of jazz 25) Called a game 29) Golden State region, for short 32) Love dearly 33) Yellow or orange blooms 37) Get pooped out 38) Had the blahs 39) Short blast 40) Jamaican band instru- ment 42) Be rude in line 43) Was helpful to 44) Treat as a pet 45) Play area? 48) Stroke's need 49) Manner of expression 50) Vietnam-era naval ves- sels 57) Father of Thor 58) Navel fluff 59) Borden "spokescow" 60) Far-reaching 61) Penny, maybe 62) Champion's claim 63) Keeps a watch on 64) Lowly type 65) Foul moods DOWN 1) Pack tightly 2) Amphitheater shape 3) Fey of "30 Rock" 4) Baldwin of "30 Rock" 5) Library assessment 6) Kick back 7) Reunion attendee 8) Scandal suffix 9) Hoppy brews 10) Painters' protective measures 11) Less polished 12) Fight site 13) Keep from drying out 21) Gesture of concession 24) Kiosk item, for short 25) Charlie Brown epithet 26) Make cuts, say 27) Yell after a slice, perhaps 28) Those not under contract 29) Toast word 30) City near Provo 31) Spanish hero El ___ 33) Mucky stuff 34) London lavatories 35) Bird on Woodstock posters 36) "Leave it," to a proof- reader 38) Use a postscript 41) Doctored account 42) Light frozen desserts 44) Scratching post user 45) Potbelly, for one 46) Right now 47) Biscotti flavoring 48) "Come here ___?" 50) High five sound 51) Sommelier's suggestion 52) Division word 53) Lena of "Havana" 54) Sparkling wine, informal- ly 55) Pinball flub 56) Goes out with F Solution to last week's crossword The answers to today's crossword will be published in next week's Midweek edition Weather Partly cloudy Visibility Good Wind Variable force 2 or 3 at first, becoming West Northwest and then becoming force 3 or 4 by late morning TODAY TOMORROW Crossword WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY POSSIBLE SHOWERS 18 0 / 11 0 17 0 / 13 0 FEELS LIKE 18 0 FEELS LIKE 17 0 MATTHEW AGIUS A Mellieha resident has been conditionally discharged after he admitted to stealing Christ- mas decorations and verbally abusing a female acquaintance early last month, in an incident thought to be a result of mental illness. The 40-year-old Swedish na- tional was arraigned nearly a month after the alleged offenc- es, due to his having been un- dergoing psychiatric treatment at Mount Carmel Hospital. Inspector Warren Galea ar- raigned the man before magis- trate Lara Lanfranco on Tues- day morning, accusing him of insulting and threatening a woman and breaching the peace at a shop in Mellieha on 9 December. The man was also charged with having, the following night, committed the aggravated theft of Christmas decorations which had been put up by the local council, disobeying legitimate police orders and breaching the peace. Upon his arrest, he was re- ferred to psychiatric in-patient care at Mount Carmel and was arraigned upon his discharge. Defence lawyer Joe Brincat described his client as a "prop- er gentleman," informing the court that the accused, who works as a translator, would be pleading guilty to the charges. "The accused himself request- ed that he be arrested and ar- raigned in order to conclude this matter quickly," Brincat said, explaining that had the man been charged in a dis- trict sitting, it would have been harder to notify him with sum- mons, leading to administrative difficulties and drawing out proceedings unnecessarily. "He really cooperated with the police," added the lawyer, and confirmed by the inspector. In his submissions on punish- ment Brincat argued that the circumstances merited a condi- tional discharge in this case. Inspector Galea submitted that a suspended sentence would be most beneficial sen- tence, said he would defer to the court's decision. The court was told that for a period of time, the accused had been a friend of the woman, who owns a shop near his house and would often chat with her. However, an incident occurred on the 8 VDecember during which he had said "some words towards her," added the inspec- tor. The words spoken were not repeated or hinted at in court. Regarding the charge of fail- ing to obey police orders, the inspector said that the police had received a report of a man screaming and shouting in pub- lic and disturbing the peace. Police officers dispatched to his house only found the landlord. Just then, the police received a phone call reporting a man near a Mellieha retirement home, apparently attempting to break in. The accused was arrested at the scene, however no damage was caused and there appeared to be no intent to break in, said the inspector. "He was carrying a metal pipe that he had found in the street, he was not in a good state of mind and wasn't thinking straight. He was told to drop the pipe but he did not and continued to approach the of- ficers who then discharged a taser gun at him. He was tak- en to Mater Dei Hospital and then transferred to Mount Car- mel Hospital due to his mental state." Brincat insisted that his client receive a conditional discharge, arguing that it was appropriate in the circumstances and that a suspended sentence "is abso- lutely too much." The court found the man guilty as charged and discharged him on condition that he does not commit another offence in the next 12 months. It also imposed a €1,000 per- sonal guarantee for that period, to provide for the safety of the woman. Man admits to stealing Christmas decorations, verbally abusing acquaintance