Two teenagers yesterday apologised for the suffering they caused when they vandalised two cemeteries last month and said they were willing to pay for the damage.
The young men, aged 17 and 19, have been placed under house arrest after they admitted to vandalising the Safi and Kirkop cemeteries and causing over €1,150 in damage to graves and other objects between December 21 and Christmas Day.
They also pleaded guilty to publicly disrespecting the Roman Catholic religion and trespassing.
The vandal acts evoked anger and sadness in the relatives of those buried at the cemeteries. Graves, statues and candle holders were damaged, while various satanic symbols were found together with crucifixes turned upside down.
As they stood in the dock to face the charges, the two men looked tense. The 17-year-old had a constantly twitching leg while his friend kept biting his bottom lip and sombrely closing his eyes.
Their lawyers informed the court that they were sorry for what they had done and were ready to pay for the consequences. Lawyer Marion Camilleri asked the court to appoint a probation officer to carry out a pre-sentencing inquiry report before moving on to pass judgment.
"There are certain circumstances, in both cases, that need to be looked into... I don't wish to elaborate on them at this stage especially since there is the media in the courtroom," she said.
"Their behaviour was foolish," lawyer Patrick Valentino added, stressing that it was driven by childishness.
Police Inspector Anthony Portelli, prosecuting, agreed that they had been childish but this was a serious and sensitive case, which had hurt people.
During submissions on bail the inspector said it would be better to place the two under house arrest since this would also ensure their safety, especially because the case was still fresh in people's hearts.
Magistrate Giovanni Grixti put off the case for judgment pending the outcome of the probation officers' report. Meanwhile, the two men were granted bail on the condition that they remain in their homes and were bound by a personal guarantee of €2,000 each.
Names are not being published because one of the accused is a minor and also for safety due to the sensitive nature of the incident.