A court messenger was yesterday fined almost €180 after being found guilty of trying to smuggle a penknife into the law courts two years ago.
The court, presided over by Magistrate Neville Camilleri, heard 56-year-old Armando Debono from Valletta was caught by a security guard trying to bring the penknife in a concealed package on November 6, 2012.
Mr Debono was reported to the Director of Courts for an investigation, given that he was an employee.
However, the police became involved when they found Mr Debono in possession of another penknife while he was walking around Valletta in a drunken state.
The defendant was found guilty of attempting to smuggle the penknife into the courts, breaching the public peace and being drunk in public.
He was fined €116.47 for the first charge and €30 for each of the other two charges.
Police Inspector Kylie Borg prosecuted.