A young Spanish woman and her South African friend ended up with suspended sentences yesterday after she tried to help him escape a holding cell at the St Julian’s police station.

Claudia Ferrer, 20, who is due to leave the island today, was at the station after Vincent Trethewey, 25, from St Julian’s, was arrested for allegedly violently resisting arrest while drunk in Paceville in the early hours of Monday.

Officers had found Mr Trethewey on the pavement with injuries to his face. When they tried to wake him up he became aggressive. Ms Ferrer also became involved and they arrested her too for disobeying orders.

Mr Trethewey had been in a fight but due to his drunkenness could not remember with whom or what it was about.

The pair were taken to the St Julian’s police station and Mr Trethewey was put in a holding cell. At one point Ms Ferrer managed to get to the cell and tried to open the door to let him out.

During the arraignment, the pair sat in the dock accompanied by friends and Ms Ferrer’s family, with Mr Trethewey sporting a black eye. He told Magistrate Doreen Clarke that he wanted to apologise to the police for what he had done.

In response, the magistrate said that besides the health issues related to excessive drinking, problems were created because he was not aware of what he was doing. Being drunk certainly did not excuse his actions, she added.

She sentenced him to four months in jail suspended for one year. The magistrate sentenced Ms Ferrer to three months in jail suspended for one year and warned her that her criminal record could be traced across the European Union.