Ecstasy pusher turns a new leaf and wins court's sympathy

A man who had been sentenced to two years and seven months in jail after being found guilty of trafficking in ecstasy had his sentence reduced to 12 months by the Court of Criminal Appeal after hearing how he has turned over a new leaf.

Wayne Cutajar was originally found guilty on June 27, 2007 of trafficking in ecstasy and was sentenced to two years and seven months in jail and fined €1,398.

A pre-sentencing report prepared by Mr Cutajar's probation officer described him as assertive but easily influenced by friends, which led him to start selling ecstasy because of the bad company he kept.

The court was asked to take into consideration the fact that Mr Cutajar was 18 years old when he committed the crime, he had a clean police record and had continued his education and worked full time.

Taking the witness stand, Mr Cutajar's employer described him as an exemplary worker, who "never let the company down".

The court subsequently reduced the jail term by one year and seven months.

Lawyer Edward Gatt appeared for Mr Cutajar.