Two Italian men were taken to court and handed a suspended sentence after refusing to be searched by the police in St George’s Bay last night.
Giuseppe di Nunno, 30, residing at Naxxar, and Vito Lorusso, 34, who lives in Swieqi, were accused of insulting or threatening police officers, breaching the peace and disobeying legitimate orders.
Inspector Nikolai Sant told the court that policemen had approached the two men and attempted to carry out a personal search on suspicion of drug possession.
The two men refused and an argument broke out.
One of the men, Mr Di Nunno, allegedly physically resisted the police.
Mr Di Nunno pleaded not guilty and was released on bail against a deposit of €1,000. His companion pleaded guilty and was handed a six-month jail term suspended for 2 years, in addition to a fine of €2,500.
Inspector Nikolai Sant prosecuted. Lawyers Franco Debono Amadeus Cachia were counsel to Mr Di Nunno. Lawyer Mark Mifsud Cutajar was defence counsel to Mr Lorusso.