Rueben Scicluna, 28, admitted defrauding Alfons Enterprises out of Lm140, in Hamrun on 12 July 2002. When passing judgment, the court took the accused’s guilty plea and his cooperation with police into consideration. Scicluna paid Alfons Enterprises the Lm140 he had defrauded it out of and even presented the receipt in court.

The court ruled that in light of these facts, a prison sentence would not be appropriate and it said it would give the man one last chance to reform. Scicluna is to spend the next two years under the surveillance of a probation officer. The court was presided over by Magistrate Abigail Lofaro and inspector Joseph Cordina prosecuted.