Jailed after admitting hold-up

Pule' Carmel

Sep 6th 2012, 16:38

**Reading this hold up situation, Please comment on my actions, am I daft, stupid or not?

Do people meet such occassions in Malta.? People call at my home at Kalkara for charity donations, Arka, Festas etc, but here is the latest and a unique occassion in my life!

This week I went to court to submit my report on a court case I was asked to investigate and as I walked out, I made towards Pjazza Regina and then to the Old Market where I had parked my little motorcycle.

When I walked in front of the Historic market a well dressed man unknown to me approached me and said quietly, “ Excuse me, Sir, my wife has died of cancer, and I spent all my money going to and residing in a flat near Marsden Hospital in London ( I believe) , now my daughter with a new child needs some Euros described by a two digit number. Will you help me please?” He said that he knew me, which I could not recall anyway.

As I am a bit of a fox and not so daft, I paused for a moment, considered what he said and also what he did not say, then I looked in my wallet and found that I had a two digit number of Euros and I gave him the two digit number minus ten euros to keep for a coffee whereby he said, “I would be grateful if you give me the full amount please!” and as I could afford to I decided to give him the full amount his daughter required. He thanked me profusely almost humiliating himself too much. He said, “ I will go straight to my daughter!”

My question is , “ was this a sort of hold up?” was I daft to fall for it? Was I stupid? Was I kind? I still do not know whether I was stupid, daft or kind?

Would anybody humiliate himself that much, he even kissed my hand, was it an act?

Then I thought, people coming to knock on my door, I never check if they are genuine or not. The last time I gave 20 Euros to a nun or a sister of the poor at Valletta I told her, “Sister, I am giving you 20 Euros, 15 Euros goes to charity and 5 Euros goes to you, so that you go and buy yourself a nice ICE CREAM!” She looked at me and smiled and said, “Mr I cannot do that, all we collect goes for the poor!” No I told her, “ Go and have an ICE CREAM on me!” She just smiled and shook her head and I cried a little, this time! But I was confounded after my episode in front of the old market!

Well I suppose it is pleasant to be daft sometimes, even if one loses a few Euros. I am not really interested if the man was genuine or not. A man should know well what to overlook I guess and,I am a man.

Mario Busuttil

Sep 6th 2012, 12:20

Ghal min jikkummenta fuq il Qrati Maltin dwar sentenzi sospizi u ma jaqbilx mal Gudukaturi, din hija ezemju car ta meta individwu jkollu sentenza sospiza u ikommetta reat iehor meta is sentenza li tkun inaghtatlu qabel tkun operattiva. Dan l individwu wehel is sentenza massima ta qabel kif ukoll ma inaghtax sentenza ohra sospiza fil konfront tieghu. Prosit Sur Magistrat.