Man used cannabis 'for pain relief'

A Swiss man who travelled here with his caravan and dog was carrying cannabis for a medical problem and a Taser to protect himself, a court heard yesterday.

Harri Hofer Otto, 40, was given a suspended jail sentence after being caught in an Armed Forces of Malta roadblock last Sunday with cannabis and the Taser.

He was smoking a joint and had thrown it out of the window when he noticed that soldiers were stopping cars.

He admitted yesterday to possessing the drug, importing it, carrying the Taser without a licence and littering. When the police searched his caravan they found a small amount of cannabis mixed with tobacco.

In a statement to the police, Mr Otto said he was studying English here and claimed he used the drug to relieve the pain he was suffering because of medication he was taking.

He added that he carried the Taser around with him as self-protection whenever he travelled and it only carried a 10-volt battery.

A Taser is a non-lethal weapon of self-defence that passes an electric current between two needle-like probes in order to deliver an electric shock.

Police Inspector Kevin Farrugia told the court that Mr Otto had handed the small amount of cannabis over to the police during their investigation and had fully cooperated with them throughout.

After taking into consideration the small quantity of drug and that he had fully cooperated with the police, Magistrate Giovanni Grixti jailed him for one year suspended for a year.

Lawyer Simon Micallef Stafrace appeared for Mr Otto.