Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/828624
maltatoday, FRIDAY, 26 MAY 2017 News 8 MAT THEW AGIUS A man was handed a sus- pended sentence over a Fa- cebook post calling Labour candidate and former Na- tionalist MP Jeffrey Pul- licino Orlando a 'pedigree homo' Facebook should be place for friends to communicate and not a battlefield for dis- senting opinions, a court has remarked, as it handed a man a suspended sentence over a Facebook post calling a former politician a "pedi- gree homo." Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando had gone to the police af- ter Valletta resident Ste- fano Zampa posted a link to an article about how Jef- frey Pullicino Orlando, as chairperson of the Malta Council for Science and Technology, had nominated his girlfriend, Lara Boffa, as 'national contact point' for EU research programme Horizon 2020. The post was garnished with a com- ment containing the insult, berating the politician for "speaking against Valletta people." In October last year, Zam- pa was charged with misuse of electronic communica- tions equipment over the Facebook post. When the case was called this morning, Zampa, as- sisted by law yer Gianluca Caruana Curran, apolo- gised to Pullicino Orlando for any offence his post might have caused. The court, in view of his apology and after hearing submissions made on behalf of Pullicino Orlando, found Zampa guilty as charged. Magistrate Joe Mifsud took the opportunity to em- phasise the point that "even during times like these, means of communications should not be used to create division amongst the people of Malta." He admonished Zampa, reminding him that the charges carried a fine of up to €23,293. Mifsud, however opted for a lesser punishment, hand- ing the man a six-month conditional discharge, also issuing a three-year protec- tion order in favour of Pul- licino Orlando and Boffa. Inspector Priscilla Carua- na Lee prosecuted. Law yer Gianluca Caruana Curran was defence counsel. Law- yer Vince Micallef appeared for Pullicino Orlando. Man handed suspended sentence for insulting Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando on Facebook Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando