One of Malta’s most infamous drivers, Marius Camilleri, is back on the streets after he was granted bail in the course of an appeal his defence team filed against an effective 16-month prison sentence ordered by a Magistrates Court last month.

Camilleri, who is 57-years-old, repeatedly made headlines for his reckless driving, in particular in November of last year when members of the public published different videos of trucks, which looked remarkably similar, disregarding oncoming traffic by speeding onto a roundabout and driving in the wrong lane to overtake just before a blind corner.

Following the furore created when the videos appeared on social media and the media, Camilleri was charged in court on 1 December 2017 with no fewer than 11 charges, including displaying a road licence issued for a 125cc motorcycle on his 35-tonne truck, reckless driving, driving without a licence, driving without insurance, speeding and having an incorrect home address registered on his ID card.

In that particular arraignment, one officer said it was “only a matter of time” before Camilleri caused a fatal accident by his dangerous driving. Over a span of 23 years, the infamous driver racked up some 40 convictions for a range of serious offences, but somehow managed to avoid prison.

Camilleri had repeatedly been denied bail up until 15 January 2018, when presiding Magistrate Grazio Mercieca said a balance had to be struck between the right to his liberty pending the outcome of the trial and the right for the public to go about their day-to-day lives safely. Camilleri was granted bail against a €10,000 deposit and a further €10,000 personal guarantee. He was also given a blanket ban on driving.

At the time of his arraignment on 1 December 2017, Camilleri had been out of prison on two suspended sentences and a conditional discharge simultaneously.

In flagrant breach of the bail conditions granted to him in January of this year over the alleged truck driving incident, in March Camilleri was spotted by authorities riding a motorbike. Ironically, his argument was that he had injured his foot and was unable to walk or find a lift with family to his nearby police station to sign the bail-book as required by the bail conditions.

His defence lawyer said that the fear of failing to sign the bail book caused him to act irrationally. He was arraigned in court on separate charges for driving without a licence, driving without insurance, breaching bail conditions, using number plates which did not belong to his motorbike and committing the offences during the operative period of two suspended sentences, as well as relapsing. The number plate on the bike had been sawn in two in order to fit onto the square holder.

In April of this year, Magistrate Gabriella Vella found him guilty of the offences with which he was charged during the motorbike incident, sentencing him to 16 months’ imprisonment. The €10,000 deposit and €10,000 personal guarantee were also retained by the court in the original case dealing with alleged dangerous truck driving, in view of the non-observance of bail conditions imposed by Magistrate Grazio Mercieca.

Readers of The Malta Independent on Sunday were therefore surprised to spot Camilleri in public earlier this month. As is his legal right, Camilleri’s defence team had filed an appeal against the 16-month prison sentence. In the course of the appeal, presided over by Mr Justice Antonio Mizzi, a request for bail was made and was once again granted against a deposit of €10,000.

The driving ban is still in effect and, so far, no news has emerged of whether he has got back on the road. Sources close to the police urged the public to understand that the force is doing all it can to ensure public safety and is continuing to ensure that Camilleri stands trial for any breach of the law.

As a matter of procedure, when an appeal is made in respect of a Magistrate’s judgment, the case goes before a Judge. In this case, it is the Office of the Attorney General that prosecutes, rather than police inspectors.

The initial case relating to the alleged dangerous driving of a truck before Magistrate Grazio Mercieca is still pending.

Included in the huge number of convictions Camilleri has racked up over the course of his adult life are four convictions for reckless and dangerous driving, three for driving without insurance and a number of others for illegal arrest, theft and violence against police officers. He is currently on an insurance black-list due to his behaviour.