A 23-year-old Tunisian man who tried to escape from Malta by stowing away in a merchant ship has been jailed for six months.

Samir Salim first entered Malta without documentation but then tried to flee the island by boarding a merchant ship in Marsa. However, his plan was foiled by the ship’s crew who found him and returned him to land.

The young man was taken to court on Tuesday and was charged with escaping from the Initial Reception Centre and entering Malta illegally.

Magistrate Neville Camilleri found the Tunisian guilty and sentenced him to a six-month effective jail term.

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