Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/620229
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 27 DECEMBER 2015 7 News Dayfresh Butcher & Steakhouse Naxxar road, Birkirkara Tel: 27887727 Upper Constitution street, Mosta Tel: 27448007 57, Diego street, Hamrun (opp. BOV) Tel: 21237925 Find us on Facebook: DayFresh Meats & Grill Best new insult 37-year-old Patrick Sciberras wins this award after receiving an €850 fine and a suspended sentence for, among other offences, calling a passing policeman a "frying pan." Sciberras had told a court that he had consumed "a couple of drinks" at a bar and, while waiting to be picked up from a bus stop by a friend, he had heckled a passing motorcycle policeman with the now immortal phrase "hawn ja frying pan," before threatening the officer and his family. The "Good parenting" award If ever confirmation is needed that instilling virtues like self-control, respect for the law and other people's safety in children is hard, ask the parents of the 12-year-old boy who was twice in two weeks caught driving a BMW in November. A week after leading police on a high-speed chase through Hamrun, officers from the Rapid Intervention Unit caught the unnamed pre-teen behind the wheel of a BMW a second time on November 21st. The same child was reportedly spotted driving the vehicle in early December, but officers reacting to the dangerous driving report found him to be sitting in the passenger's seat, with a licensed adult driver at the wheel. Well done, mom and pop. Best heart-warming ending Jack Daboma Ibibo, a black Hungarian student hogged the news in July after he was handcuffed by police officers, having moments before been slapped, spat at and racially abused by Maltese woman Alison Cutajar, as he had been attempting to organise a queue at the Valletta bus terminus. Daboma subsequently filed a criminal complaint against the woman, to which Cutajar reciprocated with a complaint of her own. Both complaints were withdrawn after the two apologised to each other in court and later shook hands for the cameras. Cue: soaring orchestral score. Pass the Kleenex. Worst travel manners Italian couple Matteo Clementi, 26 and his 23-year- old partner Enrica Apollonio were fined €2,329 for breaching airport security after the two rushed onto the airport apron in June, in a bid to stop a Ryanair aircraft leaving for Italy without them. The tourists said it had taken them two hours to get to the airport from Paceville. Honourable mention A yearning that only pastizzi could satisfy cost Francis Cassar €250, after he was spotted at a popular Rabat pastizzeria in breach of his bail conditions in October. Cassar, who had been on bail for an unspecified offence, had been ordered to remain indoors between 11pm and 7am, but was spotted at the pastizzeria when he should have been observing the curfew. Cassar pleaded guilty and was fined €250. And the 2015 MT award for criminal folly goes to... Simon Peter Chircop, 47 from Attard, who was jailed for three years and fined €916 after being found guilty, in January, of attempting to steal items from a police inspector's car. He had been spotted trying to break into the car by another police officer and promptly arrested. Once at the police station, Chircop then reportedly threatened the Inspector who owned the car, earning himself a stay at Corradino. their position. Muscat and Sant were remanded in custody due to fears of tampering with evidence and allegations of threaten- ing a prosecution witness. Cucciardi was granted bail after the court was told that all evidence related to his case had been collected. A month later, in February, a magistrate held that there was sufficient evidence to indict the brothers of pardoned oil trader George Farrugia – Antonio Farrugia, Gaetano Farrugia, Ray- mond Farrugia, Emmanuel Farrugia and Salvatore Farrugia on charges relating to bribery of state officials. The men are deny- ing the charges, but the court was told that Antonio, Gaetano, Raymond and Salvatore had previously admitted to police that they had been aware that their brother George had been bribing state officials in order to secure oil contracts from Enemalta. October saw the president, vice-president and former direc- tor general of the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterpris- es (GRTU) answer to criminal charges for lying under oath. GRTU president Paul Abela, 64, from Naxxar, deputy president Philip Fenech, 60, from Sliema and retired GRTU director gen- eral Vince Farrugia, 71 from St Paul's Bay, were charged with perjury and subornation of witnesses. The trio are accused of attempting pervert the course of justice in criminal proceed- ings against developer Sandro Chetcuti, who was convicted of slightly injuring Farrugia. Chetcuti had originally been accused of Farrugia's attempted murder but the prosecution had later dropped this charge. Chetcuti was subsequently convicted of having slightly injured Farrugia and was handed a suspended sentence. Successes against organised crime Six Italian nationals, living in Malta – Mario Gennaro, 39, Margherita Giudetti, 34, Francesco Ripepi, 38, Alessandro Ciaffi, 40, Rocco Ripepi, 36 and Fortunato Stracuzzi, 37 – were arrested under a European Arrest Warrant in July, on charges of participation in organised crime and money laundering, and deported to Italy. The police said that Gennaro registered a company in Malta, called Betuniq, which controlled 1,500 gaming and betting agencies spread all over the Italian territory. The Italian me- dia described the operation as an "economic power of gigantic proportions." Early in October, Kartlos Dolaberidze, 41, from Georgia, Kryzsztof Tadeusz Latocha, 30, from Poland, Algirdas Slio- geris, 48, from Lithuania, Adilet Shakirgazieva, 28, from Kyr- gyzstan and Mate Oniani, 25, from Georgia are to be indicted in connection with a spate of thefts which terrorised Sliema and surrounding areas in the last two years. The thieves had used the same modus operandi to commit all of the thefts, namely gaining entry using so-called 'bump keys'and stealing cash, gold and jewellery, whilst leaving elec- tronics untouched. The gang's signature was to leave the home- owner's socks in odd places. All five are denying charges relating to conspiracy to com- mit a crime, participating in organised crime, forming part of a criminal organisation and receiving stolen goods. A year of police scandals A drink driving arraignment turned into an investigation into police brutality last May, when Jean Paul Aquilina was charged with drink driving and disobeying police orders. The injuries suffered by Aquilina who "threw himself on the cars" and "broke his own side mirror" during his arrest, led to arrest- ing officers David Camilleri and Mark Tonna Camilleri being charged with beating him. Aquilina was subsequently cleared of all charges. In June, 20 year-old police officer Jean-Claude Mangion was charged with negligently causing the death of motorcyclist Clive Brincat, with whom he had collided in Mqabba in Janu- ary 2014. Brincat was 32. Months later, in November, police inspector Jason Francis Sultana was accused of asking a couple for €4,000 in bribes to let them move into a vacant apartment in Gżira, whose original tenants were in prison for offences relating to prostitution. His case continues in the new year. Abusing positions of authority Popular local actor John Suda was granted bail in July after pleading not guilty to committing a violent indecent assault on a young woman. Suda allegedly sexually assaulted the actress and held her against her will during an acting exercise. The case continues to be heard behind closed doors. Globe-trotting sex pest, 25-year-old Michael Camilo Precht was handed a suspended sentence and fined €2,400 last January after he admitted to his latest ploy, posing as a doctor-cum- modelling agent to grope women on the pretext of performing a pre-employment medical examination. The internationally loathed pervert then handed the girls a phony medical report on a stolen hospital form, advising them to "find a boyfriend who can give you a massage every day". At this point, the girls had realized that something was amiss and informed the police. Long-overdue reform of drug laws introduced May saw the coming into force of much-awaited reforms to Malta's drug laws. Under the laws, people caught with small quantities of drugs will be subjected to fines ranging from €65 to €125. Fines for cannabis possession are to be between €50 and €100. First-time offenders accused under the new law will not appear in court but before a newly-appointed Justice Com- missioner, Sedqa social worker Victoria Scicluna. The 2015 awards for criminal folly Allan Galea, jailed for six years