A Hungarian man was yesterday charged with cultivating some 10 cannabis plants at his home in Qawra and keeping them in circumstances that denote it was not for his exclusive use.

Arpad Palotai, who opened Gyros Shack kiosk with his brother, stood in the dock visibly shaken and leant on the wooden bars as proceedings got under way.

At one point legal aid lawyer Lorraine Vella asked Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera if she could approach the bench.

The magistrate said she could, but that the law allowing plea bargaining had not yet come into force.

The case, she said, was beyond her competence when it came to the prison sentence that he faced. Mr Palotai was remanded in custody.

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