A young man's responsible decision to insist on driving his drunk friend home ended up backfiring horribly, when his inexperience on Maltese roads resulted in a terrible crash.

Serbian-national Bojan Pesic, a 27-year old timid-looking and soft-spoken man, had barely been in Malta for one month when in the early hours of Tuesday morning, while on way back home from a party with friends, he ended up at the centre of a collision in Aldo Moro road, Marsa.

Since the car owner, a Maltese friend of his, had had a bit too much to drink, Mr Pesic had decided to drive her and another friend home himself.

Taking the wheel of her Renault Megane was a first-time driving experience on Maltese roads, the prosecution explained when informing the court about the dynamics of the "unfortunate accident."

Unused to local traffic regulations, driving in dark, empty roads and with two tipsy passengers who were in no state to help with directions, Mr Pesic ended up on the wrong side of the road, crashing into a Toyota Aygo driven in the opposite direction. The driver of the other vehicle suffered serious injuries while his wife, riding in the passenger seat, ended up critically injured.

Mr Pesic's friends were also seriously injured in the crash.

Following the accident, the driver was subjected to a breathalyser test which showed that he was sober and not drink-driving, the court was told.

Inspector Robert Vella explained how the young man had fully cooperated with the police, giving a detailed account of the unfortunate event and ruing “the worst decision ever made in his life.”

Adding further to this account, defence lawyer Mark Mifsud Cutajar pointed out that this unfortunate incident had arisen “out of a gesture intended to avoid greater damage or a possible breach of the law.”

Matters were made worse by the fact that it was dark at 12.40am and adequate road signage was lacking. Speed had not played a part in the accident, the lawyer continued, stressing that his client had been driving at “a very, very low speed.”

During the arraignment, Mr Pesic pleaded guilty to multiple charges including that of having caused serious injuries to four persons through his careless driving, damage to both vehicles involved in the crash, as well as having driven without a valid license issued by Transport Malta, without necessary insurance cover and against the direction of traffic signs.

The accused was granted bail against a deposit of €500, a personal guarantee of €4,500 and an obligation to sign the bail book on a daily basis.

Judgment is expected to be delivered on Monday by Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech who presided over today’s hearing.