The saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions held true for a man who made a hoax call about a bomb on the catamaran from Sicily in an attempt to allow his brothers, who were running late, to make it aboard.

The hoax worked only too well, causing the vessel, which had already left Pozzallo, to turn back and delay its departure for several hours so a search could be carried out.

Aaron Sant, 28, of Mqabba, yesterday admitted to the crime and Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna handed down a six-month jail term suspended for a year.

Mr Sant phoned police headquarters from his mobile phone in Malta on Wednesday evening warning about a “bomb” aboard the Virtù Ferries catamaran. The catamaran turned back and all 163 passengers and 30 vehicles disembarked.

It departed again four hours later after a search was carried out.

It is not known whether Mr Sant’s brothers actually made it back to Malta on the same boat.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Charmaine Cherrett appeared for Mr Sant.