George Pace, 47 of St Julian's, has been conditionally discharged for six months after a court convicted him of having painted over part of the lines of a parking bay which had been painted on the pavement in front of his house in Bonavita Street.

He was also found guilty of having obstructed the pavement with three pot plants, and failing to obey police orders.

Mr Pace had complained that because the parking bay was partly on the pavement, cars were parking too close to his front door. He placed the pot plants on the pavement in order to prevent cars from parking too close.

The case happened in March 2003.

The police removed the pots themselves after Mr Pace refused to do so.

The court was also told that after complaints to the Traffic Management Directorate, it had resulted that the parking bay lines were made by the local council without the directorate's prior approval.

In convicting the accused, the court said that no one had a right to exercise a public role which he did not have and the accused was, therefore, wrong to have painted over the lines. In handing down sentence, the court said it had, however, considered the fact that St Julian's council had itself acted incorrectly in drawing up the lines of the parking bay without the approval of the relevant authority.