Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/423164
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 26 NOVEMBER 2014 News 4 THE police said that two teenage girls have been reported missing. Sephora Camilleri, 15, and Donna Edris, 16, were reported missing on Monday at the Hamrun police sta- tion. The police said Camilleri was last seen wearing a white hoody while Edris was wearing a black jacket and dark blue denim trousers. Whoever has any information about the two girls' whereabouts is urged to call 119 or 21 224001-9. Police did not want to prosecute BirdLife activists MATTHEW AGIUS MAGISTRATE Anthony Vella yes- terday expressed dissatisfaction with the way the police managed the prosecution of four BirdLife ac- tivists. The conservation group activists had been charged with the posses- sion of protected birds after they published a picture of themselves posing with protected species which had been shot illegally. In what many saw as a farcical inversion of the facts, Fiona Bur- rows, Nicholas Barbara, Caroline Rance and Rupert Masefield, who appeared in the picture, were then charged under a 2006 law intended to stem illegalities by hunters and trappers. The police had previously refused to prosecute the activists, arguing that the BirdLife members were highlighting illegal hunting and lacked the criminal intent required for the offence. However this posi- tion changed last July following a request by Joe Perici Calascione, president of the hunters' federation FKNK. The FKNK had argued that the law forbids possession of the species of birds – which the BLM activists were photographed with – and re- quested they be prosecuted. Magis- trate Aaron Bugeja had upheld the FKNK's request. Barbara, Burrows and Rance at- tended yesterday's court sitting. The fourth activist, Rupert Masefield no longer lives in Malta, and was not notified. "Perhaps we should issue a Euro- pean Arrest Warrant," quipped the magistrate, dryly. The magistrate berated the po- lice inspector for not having noti- fied Masefield correctly, a fact that led to confusion on the manner in which the activists were to be ar- raigned, or whether they could be arraigned at all. It appears that the court had been told there would be one case with four accused, but the prosecution believed there would be four sepa- rate cases. "I want to have the correct acts in front of me... if there are four ac- cused and only three appear before me, I cannot do anything," protest- ed the magistrate. The magistrate, prosecution and defence then discussed at length whether the three activists present in court should be arraigned indi- vidually or together. The technical legal issues were ap- parently resolved and the court con- tinued to hear testimony. Inspector Ramon Mercieca tes- tified how the ALE received an email on 9 October, 2012 from the FKNK requesting action to be taken against BirdLife, on the basis of the press release and photo, dated Oc- tober 6, 2012. Inspector Mercieca said that he had looked into the matter and had concluded that there were no grounds on which to issue charges against the accused. He had in- formed FKNK CEO Lino Farrugia that the police did not intend to prosecute. Subsequently on 29 Januray, 2013, the police received another email from FKNK's lawyer, Kathleen Gri- ma, again requesting the police to issue charges. "What if I were to tell you that the birds in question were actually live, injured birds?" asked the activists' lawyer, Simon Tonna Lowell. The inspector admitted that it was pos- sible, as BirdLife often did rescue animals injured by hunters. Inspector Mercieca told the court that the police were initially reluc- tant to press charges because a dead marsh harrier had been exhibited by a BirdLife activist on Xarabank in 2000 and the Police Commissioner at the time, George Grech, had con- cluded that there was no criminal intent as the act was intended to raise awareness among the public about illegal hunting. Court expert Stanley Gatt identi- fied the birds in the photograph as kestrels or lesser kestrels, a honey buzzard, a marsh harrier and a night harrier – all protected species under the law – and will present a report at the next sitting. The FKNK are also expected to be testifying when the case continues on 14 January. Two teenage girls reported missing Daring thief gets away with €15,000 from detergent shop Thief entered office, stole the loot and walked away JOHN PISANI POLICE are still investigating the theft of €15,000 from a shop selling detergent goods in Gzira. It happened on Monday at around 4:50pm as an employee of Sparkle Image, in Sliema Road, was count- ing the day's takings when she had to leave her desk for a few moments. A man walked into the store, no- ticed the door leading to the office was open and went straight to the desk where the money was. The un- armed thief, wearing a baseball cap, grabbed the money and left without anybody noticing. When the em- ployee returned to her desk, she was shocked to discover the money was missing. CCTV footage shows a man walk- ing in calmly and leaving the same way. The amount stolen is €13,000 in cash and around €2,000 in cheques. Magistrate Carol Peralta was in- formed and appointed Stephen Far- rugia Sacco and Juliana Scerri Fer- rante as court experts to help in an inquiry. The thief has not yet been identi- fied. TECHNICAL ATTACHÉ Applications are invited for the position of Technical Attaché in different policy areas falling within the remit of the Ministry for European Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto. The selected candidates will be expected to discharge duties within the Permanent Representation of Malta to the European Union in Brussels. Applications together with a detailed CV will be received at the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry for European Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto, Tal-Pilar, 31B, Triq Marsamxett, Valletta, VLT 1850 or submitted through the Online Government Recruitment Portal on http://recruitment.gov.mt by not later than noon of Friday 5 December 2014. Further details may be obtained from the Government Gazette of 18 November 2014. Application forms may be downloaded from: http://www.pahro.gov.mt/file.aspx?f=127 Inspector Mercieca said the police did not want to press charges Sephora Camilleri and Donna Edris (above) were reported missing BirdLife activists were arraigned in court for displaying protected birds shot illegally