Two young men were caught skinny dipping in St George’s Bay in St Julians just hours after they arrived in Malta to learn English and were yesterday admonished by a court and given a suspended sentence.
But the two Spaniards were not the only language students to get into trouble with the law yesterday. Another four ended up in court on different charges, including petty theft and fistfights, as the student season reaches its peak.
Magistrate Edwina Grima, who presided over the arraignments, had harsh words for the two Spaniards, Pol Prat, 20, and Javier Perez-Albert, 19, as well for other young students who run riot at the bay.
“This behaviour has to be admonished especially after the bay is repeatedly littered and boats are damaged by students,” she said.
The two, in fact, were among a group of 20 students who got drunk, undressed and ran around naked on Tuesday at about 5 a.m., the police said.
During the arraignment, prosecuting Inspector Nikolai Sant said this same scenario was unfolding on a nightly basis at St George’s Bay and it had become a “huge problem”.
“Every night the police go down to stop the foreign students who are always drunk, loud and undressed but end up being sworn at and made fun of – I think the bay should be closed at night,” he said.
Magistrate Edwina Grima said she knew the students were causing huge problems in the bay.
“I’m not going to victimise you but students in general have to realise that these things are not permitted,” she told the students.
They pleaded guilty to offending public morals and undressing in public.
While handing down judgment, Magistrate Grima appealed to the authorities to “take the necessary steps to remedy the situation” at St George’s Bay.
She jailed the two Spaniards for one month suspended for one year and fined them €100 each.
In a separate arraignment, a 17-year-old French student admitted to punching a 17-year-old British tourist who insulted the Frenchman’s sister at around 11.30 p.m.
Prosecuting Inspector Edmund Cuschieri said the Briton claimed he was only teasing the girl. However, defence counsel Mark Busuttil said his client wanted to protect his sister’s honour.
He also apologised in court to the British boy, who had a black eye and discoloured bruising around the other.
Magistrate Edwina Grima noted the French student had paid all the medical expenses incurred by the British boy, filed an early guilty plea and apologised for his actions.
She jailed him for three months suspended for one year.
In another incident involving a language student, a 19-year-old Spanish man pleaded guilty to slightly injuring a hotel employee who asked him to get out of the pool.
Miguel Del Rio ended up in court after he got into an argument with Edgar Farrugia who had asked bathers to leave the pool as they were about to start cleaning it.
Magistrate Grima jailed him for one month suspended for a year and ordered Mr Del Rio not to approach Mr Farrugia against a guarantee of €100.
Mr Del Rio informed the court that he would be changing hotel and apologised to Mr Farrugia for his actions.
Next in line were two Italian tourists who were each given given a conditional discharge for stealing a handbag from a tourist.
Gianfranco Martines, 29, and Antonino Ferrera, 24, pleaded guilty to stealing the handbag after an argument broke out with the victim.
Defence counsel Richard Sladden pointed out that his clients had returned the handbag and its items and apologised to the victims.
Magistrate Grima conditionally discharged the two men for three years.
Police Inspectors Nikolai Sant and Malcolm Bondin prosecuted.