A €150 on-the-spot fine for public urination in Paceville turned into a police chase and ended with two French teenagers pleading guilty to a string of offences in court.

Nineteen-year-old French nationals Shawn Dominati and Elyes Franck Bauchet appeared before Magistrate Gabriella Vella on Saturday, where they admitted a raft of charges that followed a late-night confrontation outside Sky Club in St Julian's.

The case is among the first to reach the courts following the introduction last June of on-the -spot administrative fines aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour by non-Maltese residents.

The fines empower police to take immediate action against non-residents who break the law within 24 hours, with tourists facing possible deportation if they accumulate fines of €200 or more during their stay.

Inspector Nigel Buhagiar told the court that the trouble started up in the early hours of Tuesday outside Sky Club.

Police spotted one of the teenagers urinating in public and informed him that he would be slapped with the newly introduced €150 on-the-spot fine.

Officers spent around 20 minutes trying to get the teen to settle the fine before he suddenly bolted. When police caught up with him, five officers moved in to restrain the teenager during a brief, 25-second struggle.

Inspector Buhagiar told the court that the teenager managed to overpower the officers, forcing them to the ground before breaking free and making his escape.

Other people intervened during the commotion, helping him get away. One police officer suffered slight injuries.

The prosecution said the same suspect effectively handed himself in two days later. On the day of the incident, the St Julian's police station received a phone call informing officers that someone wished to collect an identity card that had been lost earlier that day.

By then, an arrest warrant had already been issued. Two days later, on Thursday afternoon, the teenager voluntarily walked into the police station to retrieve the document; only to be arrested and taken into custody.

He appeared in court with bloodied knees.

The second accused was tracked down just hours before he was due to leave Malta. Inspector Buhagiar said officers identified him from CCTV footage showing him taking part in the scuffle.

Officers extracted still images from the footage and discovered that he was scheduled to fly back to France on Friday.

Police intercepted him at the airport where he was about to board his flight and placed him under arrest. 

The pair pleaded guilty to charges including disobeying lawful police orders, disturbing the public peace and behaving in a disorderly manner.
Dominati also admitted running recklessly in a manner that could have caused injury to others, as well as public urination.

Both admitted causing slight injuries to a police officer during the struggle.

The prosecution and defence agreed on a minimum penalty. 

Magistrate Gabriella Vella adjourned the case for sentencing to Monday at 9am.

Legal aid lawyer Alexia Vassallo appeared for the accused.