“It was more a case of being naughty than of delinquency,” a lawyer said yesterday of his 15-year-old client who was caught driving his mother’s car with two shotguns on the back seat last week.

The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, was initially stopped by police officers on the beat after he was spotted using the mobile phone while driving when they then noticed the firearms.

He was accompanied by his 18-year-old friend – who also cannot be named because it might lead to the identity of the accused – when they were stopped on October 26 along the Marsascala bypass.

They were arraigned yesterday and accused of handling stolen property. The minor was also accused of stealing one of the guns from a field in Marsaxlokk, damaging property, illegally possessing the guns, driving without a licence or insurance, driving without a seatbelt and while using a mobile phone and breaching the conditions of a previous release.

The minor pleaded guilty to all charges except handling stolen property.

His friend admitted to handling stolen property and illegally possessing the firearms.

Defence lawyer Joseph Giglio told Magistrate Anthony Vella the boy had meant to use the guns for hunting and not to commit some heinous crime. The minor took his mother’s car while she was in Gozo and was being looked after by his grandmother.

Dr Giglio asked for a pre-sentencing report and requested bail arguing that it was not ideal to keep the minor in prison.

Police Inspector Fabian Fleri said he agreed with the lawyer that the boy needed to be given direction and left it up to the court to decide on bail.

Lawyer Peter Paul Zammit, representing the 18-year-old, asked the magistrate to take into consideration his client’s young age and immaturity.

He also asked the court for the conviction not to feature on the teenager’s police record because it would ruin his employment prospects in the future. The magistrate said he was not able to accede to this request.

Magistrate Vella fined the 18-year-old €700 and placed him on probation for three years. He was given the chance to pay the fine over 20 months at €35 a month. He was also banned from getting a firearms licence for two years.

The minor was granted bail against a personal guarantee of €5,000, placed on a curfew and ordered to sign the bail book every day until sentencing.