A man who admitted paying for a consignment of wine and whisky with a worthless cheque was handed down a one-year prison sentence suspended for three.

The case goes back to 2010 when David Grech, today 34-years-old, had taken delivery of some €6,027 worth of drinks from NM Arrigo Limited.

Mr Grech paid for the consignment with a cheque linked to a BOV account, which he knew was no longer open. The supplier called in the police when the bank dishonoured the cheque.

A representative of the bank testified that when the cheque was written the account had been changed from an overdraft account into a loan account before it eventually was transformed into a bad debt account in March 2011.

Inspector Maurice Curmi charged Mr Grech with fraud and misappropriation. The accused opted for summary proceedings and admitted to the charges.

Magistrate Carol Peralta handed the accused a suspended sentence and ordered him to pay the balance of €6,027 within six months.