District court cases cost the taxpayer about €700 and wasting time was unacceptable, a magistrate warned yesterday.

Magistrate Carol Peralta made the comment during the Mosta district sitting after dismissing two cases revolving around an argument because the defendants forgave one another.

He asked Charlene Azzopardi, 25, and her partner, Josef Tabone, 26, who both live with her mother, what they had argued about.

They said they had forgiven each other and the magistrate reprimanded them for wasting the court’s time and public resources.

He noted that court cases involved a number of people doing different jobs, mentioning the police, the defence lawyer, the court’s deputy registrar and even press reporters.

Magistrate Peralta warned that he could order the accused to foot the bill that the taxpayer would have to pay.

Ms Azzopardi said her mother, Maria Theresa, had phoned the police about the incident.

When asked by the magistrate to explain, the mother said her daughter and Mr Tabone were arguing and she was fed up looking after their children and accommodating them, so she decided to call the police.

Declaring the two cases closed, Magistrate Peralta warned that if the couple ever appeared before him again over something similar, he would fine them €700.