Magistrate Lawrence Quintano, who will be sworn in as a judge today, ended his tenure yesterday by handing down 21 judgments to clear his caseload.

The raft of sentencing, which involved 19 men and three women, included 11 jail terms, four conditional discharges, three suspended sentences and three acquittals, all in a single sitting for charges ranging from drug trafficking to tampering with an electricity meter.

The nine drug-related cases, which represented the lion’s share, saw five men and three women together being jailed for eight years and one month and being ordered to pay €8,505.94 in fines, while another man was given a suspended jail term.

There were also five theft cases, two cases of grievous bodily harm and five thefts.

Criminal defence lawyer Joe Giglio said the fact that the magistrate had cleared these cases before taking on his new appointment showed there were members of the judiciary who worked very hard and who unfortunately were not appreciated enough.

Another criminal defence lawyer with long experience of the courts, Emmanuel Mallia, echoed Dr Giglio’s sentiments, saying it was very responsible of the magistrate to clear the judgements and adding that he had always kept his appointments when he set a date for judgement.

Magistrate Quintano will take his oath of office during a ceremony at the President’s Palace today, together with another new judge, Mark Chetcuti.

Lawyer Marse-Ann Farrugia will be sworn in as magistrate.