“Make sure you do not go out hunting again,” was a magistrate’s word of warning to a man who was granted bail after admitting to various breaches of hunting regulations.

Anthony William Theuma, a 42-year old whose passion for hunting landed him in trouble, was found by police in possession of a modified rifle.

Administrative Enforcement Officers patrolling the area in the vicinity of Gudja Road in Tarxien last Sunday at around 7.30pm came across the hunter, out on a hunting spree.

This was well outside the legal time-window which stretches from two hours before daybreak until midday.

Moreover, the man was in possession of a modified Huglu rifle, fixed with a silencer.

Accompanying the suspect back to his parents’ home in Ghaxaq where he resides, the officers found a whole showcase of wild birds, some clearly in violation of Wild Birds Regulations. Among these were a Little Grebe and a Brent Goose.

The man was arrested and was later granted police bail before charges were pressed against him on Tuesday for various breaches of the hunting regulations as well as other breaches of the wild birds regulations.

The man was further charged with having carried a weapon in the open in breach of his firearms licence conditions and with having fitted the weapon with a silencer. He was also charged with relapsing.

After hearing the alleged wrongdoer plead guilty to all the charges, magistrate Gabriella Vella, presiding over the arraignment, heard defence counsel Noel Bartolo argue that his client had cooperated fully with the police and had even been granted police bail.

This was confirmed by prosecuting inspector Colin Sheldon who raised no objection to the granting of bail pending the delivery of judgment as long as appropriate measures were imposed by the court.

Magistrate Vella granted the request for bail against a personal guarantee of €5,000 and an order to sign the bail book on a daily basis until the date of judgment, warning the accused to make sure that he “did not go out hunting again” till then.