A 20-year-old student from Saudi Arabia was given a suspended jail term and had his driving licence suspended after pleading guilty to fleeing the scene after crashing a rented car into a wall last month.

The man was driving a rented Peugeot 208 in Nazju Ellul Street on the morning of February 22 when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the front garden of a house.

He appeared before Magistrate Josette Demicoli charged with driving without insurance, damaging third-party property through negligence and failing to stop after a traffic accident.

The man’s lawyers said their client was agitated as he had been assaulted in Paceville and had his wallet and phone stolen

The court heard that a small piece of cannabis resin was recovered from his apartment. However, the accused claimed it belonged to another person who could not be traced by police.

The man’s lawyers, David Camilleri and Joseph Gatt, told the court their client was in an agitated state at the time of the accident as he had been assaulted in Paceville and had his wallet and mobile phone stolen. Inspector Jason Sultana told the court that the student had fled the scene on foot.

In the vehicle, the police found a photocopy of his passport.

He was found asleep in a nearby apartment.

The car’s insurance policy was also found to only cover drivers over 21 years of age

The lawyers argued that the car rental firm was ultimately responsible for ensuring that the person renting a car was covered by its insurance policy. He has, however, paid for the damage to the car and the wall.

The magistrate sentenced the man to eight months’ imprisonment suspended for 18 and disqualified him from driving for a year.