Using Public Swings Aged 15 And Over – And So Much More – Will No Longer Land You In Maltese Court
A number of offences – some rather peculiar – are being downgraded in an attempt to free up the courts’ time.
No less than 39 contraventions that are currently tried in front of a magistrate will now be heard by a justice commissioner as part of a tribunal.
After the summer recess, a bill will be presented in parliament to change how these 39 charges within the Criminal Code will be heard by regional tribunals, and no longer in a magistrates court, Times of Malta reported, while also compiling a list of the contraventions… and it’s safe to say some of them are quite interesting.
Among the 39 offences include things like running “violently” in the streets, seeking medical attention while pretending to be sick and even fighting in the street as a joke.
Anyone found to be pretending to be a fortune-teller or interpreting dreams for profit will also no longer be tried in courts, but face a tribunal instead.
Pictured above: fortune tellers after the law change
While some of them are a bit more serious – such as leaving a weapon in an open space or unlawful betting – the Justice Ministry has taken the opportunity to also downgrade some stranger crimes in a new bid to free up court resources.
You can find the full list of contraventions below:
Cutting grass or dumping construction waste in the vicinity of fortifications;
Refusing to give information or giving false information to public officials in case of an emergency;
Allowing “insane” persons in your custody to wander at large;
Vagrancy;
Opening a public place of worship without a license;
Pretending to be fortune-telling or dream interpreting for purpose of gain;
Disturbing people’s sleep at night through rowdiness;
Disguising yourself in public;
Leaving a weapon, or an object that can be used as a weapon, in an open space;
Quarrelling in the street as a joke;
Pulling down permitted political posters;
Seeking medical services while pretending to be sick;
Begging;
Leaving your spouse, parents or children in want due to indolence;
Running “violently” in the street;
Disturbing the public peace;
Public drunkenness;
Performing an activity without the necessary license;
Unlawful betting;
Using the swings in a playground if you are over 15 years old;
Using gas canons to make noise;
Fighting someone with stones and throwing stones at someone’s house;
Trying to push or use force against a person to insult or annoy them;
Throwing water or filth at people or at their houses;
Frightening people in a way that may cause them harm as a joke;
Failing to care for or report an abandoned child to the police;
Shooting doves or pigeons that belong to another person; and
Plucking and eating fruit from somebody else’s field.
What other crimes do you think need to be included in this list?
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