Suspended jail term for policeman caught hunting illegally

A policeman caught hunting illegally by BirdLife members in Gozo last year was this morning given a one-month jail term, suspended for a year.

Fabio Schembri, 22, was filmed hunting near il-Fanal ta’ Gordan on April 18.

The film showed two men wearing white balaclavas, one holding a gun and every so often, firing the weapon. Later, it showed the same two men on a motorbike being intercepted by police officers, by which time they had removed their balaclavas.

Magistrate Edwina Grima said that in his testimony, the accused had given different versions of the event. First he said that he had gone bird watching and later that he had gone for a walk with the other hunter.

She said she could not ignore that fact that the accused was a policeman who had been in the force for two years before this incident.

As a police officer, he was bound to prevent this type of crime and it was for this reason that he had gone to hunt wearing a balaclava.

However, the magistrate also said that the accused was a young man and should be given another chance.