A Turkish teenager was so drunk on his first night in Malta that he lost control of himself, smashed a car window and assaulted two policemen.

Celal Can Kocaturk, 19, pleaded guilty to causing damage to a hired car and assaulting a sergeant and a constable when they were arresting him in St Julian’s on Tuesday morning.

In submissions on punishment, Police Inspector Luke Bonello said assaults on police officers were becoming “a regular occurrence” and that the court had to send a strong message that such behaviour was not acceptable.

He said the root of such incidents was, more often than not, excessive alcohol.

In handing down judgment, Magistrate Gabriella Vella said the youth had done something “foolish” but, considering he had paid for the damage and had shown remorse for what he had done, she sentenced him for 10 months in jail, suspended for a year.

The youth arrived in Malta on Monday for a month-long English language course.