An Australian man who offered officers money to let him sleep was this morning conditionally discharged for three years after he apologised for his actions.

Christopher Hamilton, 27, from Sliema who works on a yacht, turned up at the Palumbo dock yard at around 1am yesterday and walked in straight past the security guard who did not recognise him.

He ignored the guard’s pleas for him to stop and identify himself and carried on in a drunken stupor.

The guard called the police but Mr Hamilton refused to give the officers his particulars and was arrested and taken to the police station.

At one point he offered the officers a bribe to let him sleep.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli asked Mr Hamilton, who refused to be represented by a lawyer, if he was aware of his wrong doing, to which he said that he was and apologised.

In handing down judgment, she remarked that the case should not have reached court.