Valletta has seen a number of new monuments and statues being erected over the last couple of years, and they’ve all managed to survive huge events like last weekend’s Notte Bianca, which saw an estimated 70,000 people take to the streets of the capital. The La Valette statue across the street from Teatru Rjal, however, was not as lucky.

The sword hilt of the statue in Piazza de Valette was broken off by a 15-year-old Russian student, who was ordered to pay for its repair by the magistrate’s court. The teenager reportedly tried to climb up the statue, using the sword’s hilt as a hand-hold.

The statue, before and after

Police inspector Daryl Borg accused the teenager of causing damage through negligence before magistrate Joe Mifsud this morning, Malta Today reported.

The Russian boy was ordered to pay €1,750 for the statue’s repair and was conditionally discharged for one year.

Do you think this was a fair decision? Let us know in the comments below.

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David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).