A man who insulted PN MP Karol Aquilina on social media has been fined €700 by the courts.

Saviour Camilleri, a 64-year-old man from Zabbar, faced four charges.

The case revolved around a comment on social media by the accused which the court said was intended to offend the MP. The accused had made the comment on Facebook beneath a post from TVM about a statement Aquilina had issued. Aquilina had reported the comment to the police.

The court said that there was no doubt from the evidence that the accused had written the comment, also noting that the accused had confirmed that he had written it.

The court said that the comment in question is "definitely vulgar" and that it intended to offend Aquilina. The judge said that a right to criticise does not give a person a right to offend or use obscene words towards someone. "The comment by the accused cannot be regarded as an expression of constructive criticism or opinion - it is only vulgar, rude and offensive words, that should not be addressed to any person."

While the court found the accused not guilty of three of the four offences, noting, among other things, that the post did not include threats against the MP, the court quoted case law and said that vulgar and degrading messages were enough to fall under one of the charges - that of making improper use of electronic communications equipment.

The accused was found guilty of that charge and fined €700. The court also issued a restraining order in favour of Aquilina which is valid for three years.