Unemployed man accused of driving Mercedes without licence

Mario Camilleri, 18 of Swieqi was granted bail against a personal guarantee of €5,000 today after he pleaded not guilty to having driven a Mercedes Benz without a licence and insurance, violating previous bail conditions which included a personal guarantee of €10,000.

The police said that Mr Camilleri had driven the Mercedes, with the number plate Tamario, in St Julians last Sunday afternoon. He was also accused of disobeying police orders.

Defence counsel Joseph Brincat argued during this morning's hearing that his client could not be accused of having violated the conditions of a previous release, once he had still not been convicted of the original crime he was accused of.

The prosecution said that Mr Camilleri was 'out of control' and had already been given a conditional discharge, a probation and was currently out on bail pending another case.

Dr Brincat asked the court not to request a deposit from the accused as part of bail conditions, since he was unemployed.

The court noted that he was being accused of driving a Mercedes...

Dr Brincat said he could have gone to court in a bus, which was more expensive than a Merc, but that did not mean anything...

He also pointed out that the business run by the mother of the accused - Special Cleaners Ltd - had folded because of a campaign against his father l-Imniehru, who is in prison. He also argued that the maximum punishment which his client was liable for on conviction was six months imprisonment, and the continuation of this case was expected to take longer. It would therefore be unfair to remand him in custody.

The Court agreed to grant the accused bail against a personal guarantee of €5,000.