A fireworks manufacturer who carried explosives in his car and had large amounts of it in his home was jailed for two years and had his licence suspended.

Carmel Falzon, 56, from Żebbuġ, had taken advantage of the licence he had and, thus, an effective jail term would underline the seriousness of it all, Mr Justice Michael Mallia said, confirming a judgment handed down by the Magistrates’ Court in February last year.

Mr Falzon was caught after the police received an anonymous phone call about a large amount of fireworks that were being kept on the roof of his house on May 12, 2008.

Mr Falzon was caught after the police received an anonymous phone call

Mr Falzon had been given a permit to let off a limited number of fireworks but officers who visited his house found that he had manufactured and stored fireworks well beyond the permitted amount, the court heard. In a statement to the police, Mr Falzon said he was in possession of a licence B, which authorised him to help more qualified people in the manufacture of fireworks.

He said he worked at the Twelfth May Fireworks Factory and would sometimes take explosives home with him to mix and manufacture some fireworks. He would transport them in his car and then take them back once they were ready. Mr Falzon said this was not dangerous because the substance was not that powerful.

The Magistrates’ Court had sentenced Mr Falzon to two years in jail and banned him from holding a licence for eight years. He deemed the prison term too long and so appealed.

He pleaded that he had a permit to keep the fireworks and the court had incorrectly considered the potential danger the explosives posed, arguing that the future could not be told. He noted that a court-appointed expert had said that the likeliness of the fireworks exploding was low.

He pointed out that he was a first-time offender and should not be made an example of.

Acknowledging that he did have a permit, Mr Justice Mallia said Mr Falzon had abused the position and handled far more fireworks than he should have. “There should be no cutting of corners when it comes to fireworks,” the judge said, noting that the law was there to be observed to protect not only the lives of fireworks manufacturers but the people around them too.

He said that the first court had reasonably and legally opted for imprisonment, which reflected the severity and seriousness of the crime.