Paceville drunk quad-biking tourist fined, banned from driving

A 23-year-old British tourist has been fined and banned from driving after he admitted to driving a quad bike in Paceville whilst drunk early on Tuesday morning.

Jordan Eastland from London was arraigned before duty magistrate Neville Camilleri on Wednesday, after threatening a police sergeant who stopped him in St. George’s Road in Paceville for driving the quad bike without a helmet. The man, who was arrested just before 2am, was breathalysed and found to be intoxicated, with alcohol levels in excess of the legal limit.

Police Inspector Leeroy Balzan Engerer charged Eastland with threatening the police officer, drunk driving and driving a quad bike without a helmet.

After the magistrate summoned legal aid lawyer Raisa Colombo and the prosecutor to approach the bench to discuss the case privately, the accused admitted to all the charges, repeating his admission after being given time to reconsider his plea.

The court found Eastland guilty as charged and condemned him to pay a fine of €2,600. It also disqualified him from driving for six months; driving bans issued in Malta are enforceable in the UK.

The accused requested the court allow him to pay the fine in monthly instalments and the court acceded to the request, ordering that the fine be paid in instalments of €75 every month. The court warned that there would be serious consequences if he failed to pay the fine in full.