Malcolm Mifsud, 26, of Sliema has been awarded €2,000 compensation after the Constitution Court declared that his human rights were breached when the court of criminal appeal incorrectly found him guilty of stealing a shotgun and ammunition.

Mr Mifsud had been acquitted of those charges by a lower court, which, however, convicted him of handling stolen property.  An appeal was subsequently filed, the acquittals were overturned, and Mr Mifsud was jailed for a year.

The Constitutional Court found that since the charges appealed from did not include the theft of the shotgun and ammunition,  the judgement of the first court could not be overturned.

Mr Mifsud in demanding compensation, successfully pleaded before the Constitutional Court that that he had needlessly served six months in jail  because of the wrong application of the law by the court of criminal appeal. 

During the court case he had argued that he did not steal the gun and ammunition, but found them near a skip.