Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1537507
A 19-year-old man on holiday in Malta was fined and handed a suspended jail term on Monday after pleading guilty to spitting at pedestrians, resisting arrest, and injuring a police officer during an incident in Gżira. The incident took place around 5:15am on the 14 July, when police responded to noise complaints in the area. Officers arriving on site noticed a commotion and saw the man standing on a balcony, spit- ting at people passing below. When police confronted him, he resisted orders, shouting in officers' faces. While being hand- cuffed, he allegedly struck one of the officers, causing slight injuries, and was also charged with breach- ing the public peace. The man told the court he was visiting Malta on holiday but did not know the address where he was staying. The accused pleaded guilty to all charges. Magistrate Elaine Rizzo warned him of the seriousness of his ac- tions and pointed out that such offences carry potential prison sentences in Malta and abroad. After confirming his guilty plea, the court sentenced him to nine months' imprisonment suspend- ed for two years, and imposed a €1,200 fine. Magistrate Elaine Rizzo presid- ed, police inspector Michael Vella prosecuted, and lawyer Sara Ce- liberti represented the accused. 6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 16 JULY 2025 NEWS MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Teen tourist handed suspended jail term after spitting on pedestrians, assaulting police JULIA DOWLING jdowling@mediatoday.com.mt Police vehicle (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) Labour refuses to apologise for illegal take-over of Birzebbuga property THE Labour Party has refused to apologise for its illegal takeover of a private property that it con- verted into a club in Birżebbuġa. Last month, the Constitutional Court found the PL guilty of tak- ing over the seafront property in the 1980s. The land in question was origi- nally a hotel before being used as a telephone exchange and later as government lodging. Placed under a requisition order in Au- gust 1979, the owners had been summoned by former Lands Minister Joe Brincat and were presented with an "all-or-noth- ing deal". The court awarded the proper- ty owners €850,000 in damages, ordering the state to pay half of the sum, and the PL to pay the other half. The party was also ordered to vacate the premises within two months. In replies to MaltaToday, the PL said it "respects the author- ity and judgments of the Mal- tese law courts and will honour its obligations as directed by the court in its judgment". However, the PL noted that this does not mean it agrees with every finding in the court case. "Discussions are ongoing with the owners of the premises. Any further comment at this stage would be premature," the party said, while refusing to apologise. Following the judgment, the PL was criticised by the Nation- alist Party, that noted the par- ty's problems would be solved through taxpayer money. "The Labour Party conven- iently reduces its own debts by stealing what rightfully belongs to the people. This is something the Nationalist Party has nev- er done, and will never do," the Opposition said. The PN added that the PL lost its moral compass long ago and that it is now ruled by greed. "A party that robs Maltese citizens to fill its own pockets is not fit to lead this country." The Labour Party refuses to apologise for its illegal takeover of a private property that it converted into a club in Birżebbuġa Last month, the Constitutional Court found the PL guilty of taking over the seafront property in the 1980s.