A man today admitted to calling in a hoax bomb threat which brought all Gozo ferry services to a halt last Tuesday. He was released on bail on a personal guarantee of €20,000, with Magistrate Aaron Bugeja also calling for a pre-sentencing report to be drawn up to evaluate the man's psychological state.

His phone call led to all Gozo ferry services being suspended for around three hours, as members of the army's bomb disposal unit searched ferries and cars waiting to board. No explosive devices were found.

Superintendent Antonello Grech and Inspector Omar Zammit charged Ronald Mallia with making a false report to police, causing Gozo Channel employees to fear violence, misuse of communications equipment and networks

Mallia pleaded guilty.

“His phone call caused chaos,” a lawyer for the ferry company said. “The economy of Gozo stopped. People missed their flights, their chemo appointments.” There was also a massive knock on effects on ferry operations, he said, asking for a deterrent to be made in this case. Such behaviour could not be tolerated, argued the lawyer.

Mallia’s defence lawyer Clint Tabone said the man had not thought his actions through. “He is at the crossroads of criminality, if he is jailed, he would be placed at risk of adopting a life of crime,” said the lawyer, arguing that there was an opportunity for the man to be saved. In similar cases, offenders had been fined and given community service orders, pointed out the defence.

Lawyers Paul Borg and Clint Tabone appeared for the accused.