19-Year-Old Without Licence Flees Police, Gets Suspended Jail Term
A 19-year-old unlicensed driver who sped past children trick-or-treating in Pembroke has been handed a suspended jail term by the court.
Iverson Bartolo, who was still taking driving lessons, pleaded guilty to reckless driving, driving without a licence, placing others at risk, and disobeying police orders as reported by TVM News.
During his arraignment, it emerged that the Friday night incident was Bartolo’s first time driving. Police inspector Nathan Bugeja told the court that officers spotted Bartolo speeding out of the back of the Pembroke park-and-ride carpark and drifting around a roundabout.
When officers tried to pull him over, Bartolo took off, prompting a short high-speed chase through the area.
CCTV later showed Bartolo had parked the BMW in a disabled parking spot in front of the Corinthia Hotel, and police eventually found him and the passenger at St George’s Bay. A breathalyser test came back negative.
Magistrate Charmaine Galea handed Bartolo a three-month prison term suspended for two years and disqualified him from holding a driving licence for 12 months.
Police inspectors Nathan Bugeja and Clive Agius prosecuted the case, while lawyers Noel Bianco and Jean Paul Sammut represented Bartolo.
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