Three German tourists were yesterday fined €50 each after scaling scaffolding to get on the roof of St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta to watch the sun rise.

Daniel Eberhard, 25, Veronika Zakon, 27, and Werner Eberle, 27, admitted to entering a restricted area without the necessary permits between 4 and 5am yesterday, setting off the alarm.

Their legal aid lawyer, Noel Bartolo, said that the youths apologised for their “foolish, rather than criminal, act”.

Mr Eberhard, who works in Malta but is due to leave next week, asked for a ban on the publication of his name, saying this could prejudice his job. However, Magistrate Marseann Farrugia ruled there were not enough grounds at law to not name him.

The magistrate said that although it was not the most serious of crimes, the accused should have known better than to access a restricted area without any authorisation.

She also noted the danger to which the three had exposed themselves.

From court, Ms Zakon and Mr Eberle went straight to the airport to catch a flight back home.

Police Inspector Pricilla Caruana Lee prosecuted.