Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/729537
2 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER 2016 News Troubled youth threatened to 'cut up' his mother, court told MATTHEW AGIUS A homeless youth who smashed his way into his grandmother's house in order to beat up his own mother, immediately after he had been given a suspended sentence and ordered to keep away from her, has been remanded in cus- tody. 19-year-old Tristan Tedesco, from Birkirkara, appeared before Magistrate Josette Demicoli yes- terday, accused of threatening his mother, uncle and grandmother, attacking and slightly injuring his grandmother and his uncle, criminal damage to property and breaching the peace on 17 Septem- ber. He was additionally charged with committing those offences during the operative period of a two-year suspended sentence, which had been handed down that same day and in breach of a probation order he had been placed under in April. Inspector Roderick Spiteri ex- plained to the court that, on the 17th of this month, the accused – who is homeless, having been kicked out of his parents' house – had been arraigned on charges of threats, and criminal damage. "He was charged on Saturday and received a suspended sentence. He went straight to his grandmother's house, in violation of the condi- tions of his sentence," the inspec- tor said. He forced his way in, he added, "and went up to the bed- room where his uncle had been asleep in the bed normally used by his mother, and started punching the sleeping figure. "He had then smashed the bolt on the door and left." The youth had threatened to kill his mother for her part in his previous conviction for assaulting a police officer and resisting ar- rest. He had used a friend's phone to call his mother and threaten to "cut her up", Inspector Spiteri said. The fact that he had done so im- mediately after receiving a sus- pended sentence and a protection order was a cause of great concern to the inspector, the court was told. "He needs help. He needs anger management training," submitted the inspector. Lawyer Mark Busuttil entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of the accused and requested bail, argu- ing that the court could impose strict conditions in order to pro- tect the boy's family. "God forbid an accused person spends all the time under arrest until the prosecution builds its case. But if he breaches his bail conditions, then let him pay for his breach." That the accused possibly had anger management problems, should not be used to deprive him of his liberty until he was con- victed. The prosecution objected to bail, citing the lack of an address, the accused's apparent disregard of authority and the fact that wit- nesses who are fearful of him were yet to testify. They knew what he had done the last time he had walked out of court, the inspector added. The court said it would be reject- ing the request for bail until it was in possession of the witnesses' tes- timony. The young man broke down in tears while speaking to his lawyer after the request was denied. He was heard screaming at his grand- mother as he was led out of court- room in handcuffs. Fraudster Duncan Buttigieg jailed for two years for farmhouse con MAT THEW AGIUS CONM AN Duncan Buttigieg has been jailed for two years for renting out a farmhouse that wasn't his. Inspector Jonathan Ferris from the Economic Crimes Unit told Magistrate Josette Demicoli that Buttigieg had collected depos- its for the rental of a farmhouse from 12 Maltese. The police were called in after the victims found that the owner of the farmhouse had no idea about their booking. Buttigieg was also charged with being a recidivist. The 33-year-old serial fraud- ster, who has multiple convic- tions for fraud-related offences, yesterday pleaded guilty to the charge of misappropriation. In February 2015, Buttigieg had appeared in court, charged with trying to buy a Rolex watch us- ing a stolen and forged cheque. That crime had allegedly taken place while he had been on bail pending an appeal to a nine-year jail sentence for conning several individuals out of their money in a car importation scam. The following July he had 30 months added to his stay at Cor- radino for convincing a friend to lend him €3,400 in order to help him out with a non-existent knee operation. Magistrate Demicoli handed the man a two-year prison sen- tence. Duncan Buttigieg conned people by taking deposits for the rental of a farmhouse he did not own Man handed suspended sentence for Paceville brawl MATTHEW AGIUS A fight between two Dutch men over remarks about a girlfriend that landed one in court and one in hospital was started by the in- jured party, a court has held. Youri Kai Smit, 24, who was born in Holland but lives in Marsascala, had been accused of causing grievous bodily harm to Anthony Joma Rood in a fight in Paceville on 31 July at around 3:30am. Kai Smit had initially denied the charges but changed his plea to guilty in the first sitting of the compilation of evidence, six weeks later. The youth's early admission worked in his favour, with Kai Smit being handed a 12-month sentence suspended for two years, after Magistrate Aaron Bugeja noted that the accused had "clearly been provoked" by the comments made by the in- jured party in relation to Kai Smit's girlfriend. Saudi to be deported after sexual assault on foreign student A young Saudi man who sexually assaulted a student on Sunday is to be deported, a court has ruled. Magistrate Josette Demicoli was told that 22-year-old Naif Abdulrahman A. Altuwah, had chased a young Italian woman in Swieqi at around noon, before sexually assaulting her. The victim, who is in Malta to study English, had called the police after the accused tried to kiss and fondle her against her wishes. Inspector Nikolai Sant charged Altuwah with violent indecent assault. Assisted by a translator, the ac- cused pleaded guilty. Defence lawyers Joe Gerada and Vince Micallef highlighted that violent indecent assault was the least serious of sexual offences and that the accused had admit- ted at the earliest stage. Although Inspector Sant had originally requested a protec- tion order, this request was with- drawn during the sitting after the court said it would be ordering that the accused be deported. In view of his admission, the court found Altuwah guilty and, having ordered his deportation, upheld the defence's request for a conditional discharge, on condi- tion that he does not commit an- other crime in the next two years. He is to remain in police cus- tody until his departure.