A married man who had argued with his wife sought to make amends by spraying graffiti in Tigne that was so large it could be seen across the water from Valletta.

Ahmet Acar, a 47-year old construction worker, was arraigned on Monday under arrest, pleading guilty to having caused more than €2500 in damages to the public space at Tigne Point, property of the Sliema local council.

The accused had apparently argued with his wife and wanted to make amends.

Inspired by a graffiti artist whom he had observed at work at Sliema, the man had decided to give it a try, putting up his own message on a wall overlooking Marsamxett harbour and reportedly visible across the waters from Valletta. The court was not told what the man had sprayed.

However, his idea backfired and he ended up arrested.

He admitted his wrongdoing and his employers reassured the Sliema local council that they would foot the bill to have their worker’s ‘graffiti’ cleaned up within the week.

In the light of this undertaking and the accused’s early guilty plea, the court, presided over by magistrate Rachel Montebello, conditionally discharged him for three years, warning him of the consequences he would face in case of any future breach.

Inspector Bernardette Valletta prosecuted.
Lawyer Gianluca Caruana Curran was defence counsel.