A court in Malta has banned a man from using social media for three years, after having admitted to posting about a plan to kill the Prime Minister and his family during a Facebook rant.

The 22-year-old Qormi man, receiving psychiatric care, suffers from a mental illness that was not specified.

He was arraigned in court before Magistrate Francesco Depasquale this morning and charged with threatening the Prime Minister, spreading false news, making threats and inciting political hatred and was charged with misuse of communications equipment.

Screenshots of the man’s Facebook page were presented by inspectors Joseph Busuttil and Carlos Cordina, and they said the man had used “worrying language” with regards to the Prime Minister’s safety.

The accused’s Facebook post was read in court – “My friends and I are working on a plan to kill that hypocrite, Joseph Muscat and his children”. Defence legal aid lawyer Benjamin Valencia told the court that the accused had no intention of carrying out the threat.

The Magistrate asked the accused why he had written such a post, to which he replied that the person he was conversing with was bothering him and that he did not know what he was doing through the effects of the pills. 

The Court heard how the statement was made during a Facebook argument where someone had called the PN thieves over the price of a meal, and the discussion had escalated.

Magistrate Depasquale explained that admission to such charges could result in a jail term, and also a hefty €24,000 fine.

The accused said he would not do such a thing again.

The Court ordered that the man not be allowed to use social media for three years, was given a 6 month prison sentence suspended for four years and fined €200 to be paid in €20 monthly instalments.

He was ordered to be sent to Mt. Carmel Hospital to receive treatment.

The man was ordered not to approach or in any way contact the Prime Minister or his family.

He was warned by the Court that this was his one and only chance. The accused’s Facebook account is also to be deleted.