Entire traffic sitting devoted solely to one man's offences

A 20-year-old Sta Venera man earned the dubious distinction yesterday of having an entire traffic sitting held solely for him - he had that many offences to be dealt with.

And that done, he had another two cases to be treated in the Hamrun sitting.

The offences included injuring police officers, relapsing, and assault.

The two hearings ended with all cases being heard and Johan Sultana being jailed for a total of nine months and one week, put on probation for three years, and fines totalling Lm190.

Sultana pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him in the nine traffic cases and two district cases.

The traffic sitting for his offences to be heard was held by Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera.

In one of the cases Sultana pleaded guilty to driving when his licence had been confiscated by the court, and relapsing last March 19. That earned him a stint of six months in jail, probation for three years and a driving ban of four.

In the other eight traffic sittings Sultana pleaded guilty to several offences against traffic regulations and he was fined a total of Lm190.

Those cases over and done with, Sultana again appeared in two separate cases in the Hamrun district sitting, heard also by Magistrate Scerri Herrera.

In one of the cases Sultana was charged with slightly injuring three police officers, disobeying police, playing a Hi-Fi at a high volume, uttering obscene words in public, breaching the peace, relapsing and committing a crime during the operative time of two suspended sentences on July 8, 2000.

He pleaded guilty to all charges and brought into effect the suspended sentences, for which he was jailed for a total of three months and one week.

In the second district case, Sultana was charged together with his father, Martin, aged 43. They both pleaded guilty to assaulting and slightly injuring Ishmael Heaterly and uttering obscene words in public on June 2, 2000. Both were put on probation for three years.

Police Inspector Stephen Micallef prosecuted in the traffic sitting, Police Inspector Carlo Ellul prosecuted in the Hamrun sitting.