Italian 18-Year-Old Fined Hefty €15,000 After Vandalising Ancient Ġgantija Temples
An Italian 18-year-old student was fined a whopping €15,000 after he was caught vandalising the ancient temples of Ġgantija in Gozo.
The student was caught etching his own initials into the temples by a security guard while on a school trip, who immediately brought local police into the matter.
“Heritage Malta unreservedly condemns an act of vandalism perpetrated yesterday at Ġgantija, where an Italian student caused irreparable damage by etching letters on one of the main doorways of this Neolithic monument declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site,” Heritage Malta said in a statement.
“The youth was arraigned during an urgent session of the Gozo Court held yesterday, where he admitted to the charges brought against him.”
Not only was he fined €15,000, but he was also sentenced to two years imprisonment suspended for four years after he pleaded guilty to the charges.
“Heritage Malta, having invested considerably over the past months in the enhancement of security at its museums and sites, voices its satisfaction at the timely intervention of the security officer involved in yesterday’s incident,” it said.
The Ġgantija Archaeological Park complex is a unique prehistoric monument situated at the centre of an extraordinary archaeological landscape, the Xagħra plateau on the island of Gozo.
It consists of two structures built between c.3600 and c.3200 BC.
Photos: Heritage Malta
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