A 25-year-old immigrant who had been in Malta for the past four years, this morning was at the centre of a touching episode in court where he was facing charges regarding the theft of a mobile phone. 

When the man's case was meant to be heard, it turned out that there was no lawyer to assist the accused. The lawyer mentioned by the accused did not make an appearance. The presiding magistrate patiently asked the accused to sit down and wait, hoping that his lawyer might turn up.

However, the soft spoken man began to insist that he was "guilty, please", raising his hand to signal his intention to the magistrate. 

After several attempts by the magistrate to explain to the accused that such a plea meant that he would end up in jail, it became evident  that the man had difficulty in understanding the seriousness of his situation. 

At that stage, lawyers Gianluca Caruana Curran and Veronique Dalli who happened to be present, took pity upon the accused and spontaneously stepped in as his counsel.

They pleaded that the whole issue concerned the theft of a mobile and pointed out that the man had already spent five months in custody. 

However, there was an unexpected twist to the affair when it transpired that the accused was currently under supervision at Mount Carmel Hospital following a suicide attempt.

Magistrate Aaron Bugeja declared that he wanted to have a clear picture of the man's psychological frame of mind before deciding the case. "This is a double-edged sword", declared the magistrate. Granting the man his freedom might not be the best solution since the accused might be a danger to himself, he observed.

For this reason the court put off the case when the psychiatrist monitoring the accused will be called to testify about his mental health. 

The man, though evidently disappointed that his case would not be decided today, was reassured by his two defence lawyers that they would be there to help him when he next appeared in court.