Jailed, fined and barred from driving

A 36-year-old Libyan man was jailed for one year, fined and given nine suspended jail terms after admitting to a plethora of traffic charges.

He was also banned from driving for two years.

The list of charges was truly endless. Abdulsalem Salem Ben Hamed admitted, among other things, to 12 counts of driving without a licence and without insurance, 10 counts of driving with a suspended licence, throwing a cigarette on the floor, threatening a police officer, breaching the conditions of a previous release and failing to notify the Public Transport Authority on the change of ownership of a vehicle. He also admitted to driving when not properly dressed.

All offences took place in the space of a year, between November, 2006 and September 2007.

Mr Hamed's nine suspended jail terms will run concurrently, eight of them were for three months jail suspended for two years and the last one consisted of a month's imprisonment suspended for one year.

Each of the jail terms will become effective if and when he commits another crime within the operative period of the suspended periods.

Magistrate Saviour Demicoli handed down the sentences during 10 separate cases heard on the same day. Mr Hamed pleaded guilty in all cases.