A man was yesterday fined €350 after he sent an SMS to Labour MP Marie Louise Coleiro Preca threatening to blow her up if she tabled another parliamentary question about a block of flats he had built.

George Grech, 40, sent the SMS in a fit of rage after the MP asked a question in Parliament about the block of flats he had constructed next to an old building called L-Armerija in Qormi.

Defence lawyer David Gatt said his client had all the planning permits to build the flats and had sent the SMS because he feared people would not buy them after her parliamentary intervention. Mrs Coleiro Preca was overseas when she received the threatening message and informed the Speaker of the House, Louis Galea, about it. He in turn alerted the police.

Dr Gatt said his client had apologised immediately, a point agreed to by Police Inspector Anthony Portelli, who said the accused had fully cooperated and volunteered a police statement.

The lawyer added that his client's police record was completely clean.

The inspector said he was convinced Mr Grech was not a violent person and sent the SMS on the spur of the moment.

Before handing down judgement, Magistrate Miriam Hayman told Mr Grech to think before he acted whenever he got angry.

Taking into consideration his clean police record and the fact that he had apologised, she fined him €350 and ordered him to stay away from Mrs Coleiro Preca for two years.

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