Thirteen homeless people sentenced to detention for vagrancy and begging

Thirteen homeless individuals were each sentenced to two months in detention after pleading guilty to living an idle and vagrant life as well as begging.

Another person got a prison term after he also admitted to recidivism.

The court recommended that the individuals in question be given the assistance they needed.

The individuals, 13 men and one woman who hail from Somalia, Sudan, Gambia, Malta, Italy, Nigeria and Libya, were brought before Magistrate Astrid May Grima  in different groups on Monday morning.

The first group originally consisted of 10 individuals, but one is currently in the hospital and has been declared unfit to plead.

They were originally arraigned on June 4.

Defence lawyer Roberta Bonello told the court that the nine accused were registering a guilty plea and said that they will serve what needs to be served, however, at this point it was the government’s duty to provide the assistance they need for their benefit and that of society so that they will not end up in the same situation again.

Defence: 'They were not to blame'

In submissions on punishment, police inspector Gabria Gatt requested the maximum period allowed by law, adding that the reason was “we still need time to get them the necessary help.”

The defence countered that, given they had admitted their guilt, they should benefit from a punishment towards the minimum allowed by law. Bonello underlined that a solution was needed for these individuals who ended up homeless.

Legal aid lawyer Martin Fenech, appearing for some of the individuals, said that “they found themselves in a situation for which they were not to blame”.

Next, a man and a woman were accused separately of the same contraventions. In the man’s case, the police inspector observed that he was due to go into the YMCA programme, as she requested the maximum punishment allowed by law in his case.

The inspector also requested the maximum punishment in the woman’s case.

 The court found them guilty and ordered them to two months' detention.

After the judgment was handed down, the woman protested, claiming she "never begged for a cent" and that her "only crime was loving a dog".

Two others also appeared before the court and were given the same punishment.

Finally, a Maltese man appeared before the court and pleaded guilty to living an idle and vagrant life. His lawyer, Mark Mifsud Cutajar, argued that his client did not lead such a life to “gain something out of it”.

He submitted that they were living in difficult conditions, sometimes coupled with substance abuse.

He noted that the laws had been changed so that addicts are given help instead of being punished for their addiction.

When handing down punishment, the court observed that he was also charged with recidivism and handed him a two-month prison term.

The court ordered that the judgment be sent to the justice minister, home affairs minister and social policy minister, to bring to their attention the situation and recommend that the accused receive the necessary assistance to avoid them from committing the same offences in the future.

Magistrate Astrid May Grima presided.

Police inspector Gabria Gatt prosecuted the case. Lawyers Roberta Bonello Felice and Katrine Camilleri, who is also the director of JRS, appeared for some of the accused. Legal aid lawyers Martin Fenech and Mark Mifsud Cutajar appeared for the rest.