Jail turned into fine

The Criminal Court of Appeal yesterday turned a month's prison term into a Lm100 fine after acquitting a man of relapsing but finding him guilty of exercising pretended rights.

Anthony Sammut had appealed from a Criminal Court judgement that had found him guilty of charges involving his ploughing of a field where Charles and Emmanuel Micallef had a trapping site, in an area known as tal-Qlejgha, in Bahrija.

The Appeals Court, presided over by Mr Justice David Scicluna, said it was evident that the Micallef brothers had material possession of the land in question and that Sammut had no reason to pretend he had a right to go there.

The court however upheld the appeal regarding the charge that he was a relapser.

The court noted that the prosecution had presented an informal copy of the sentence and, at law, a true copy was required.