Five jailed over Safi riot

Five detainees at the Hal Safi detention centre have been jailed after admitting to taking part in a riot there on 18 September last year.

The men, aged between 15 and 22 and hailing from Sudan, Chad and Eritrea had escaped from the centre after causing damage to it by throwing bricks, rocks and metal objects at windows and other structures.

The men had initially contested the charges but had subsequently filed an admission of guilt on 14 January.

Magistrate Nadine Lia, in sentencing the men, noted that they had no prior convictions and had filed an admission during an early stage of the proceedings – although not at the earliest possible stage. The court also took into account the fact that two of the accused were 17 and another was just 17 when the crimes were committed.

The magistrate observed that in other cases over the same crime and circumstances, the courts had handed down 30-month prison sentences, saying that she would apply this punishment to the accused.

Mohamed Hamid and Haruun Madwi Haruun, who were 21 at the time of the commission of the offence, were jailed for 30 months, from which the time already spent in detention was to be deducted.

The other three men, aged between 15 and 17, were jailed for 18 months, in view of their young age at the time.

Inspector Janetta Grixti prosecuted.