Suspended sentence for thrill seekers who sneaked on Sicily ferry

Two foreign youths who boarded the Malta-Sicily ferry without authorisation were each given a suspended sentence and a stern warning.

Venezuelan Miguel Alberto Armas Zambrano and Spaniard Javier Ocana De Lucas, both 20, were caught sneaking on to the catamaran to Sicily by onboard security.

In court yesterday they admitted to having entered a restricted area at the boarding quay, boarded the vessel without authorisation and attempted to depart from Malta without notifying the immigration authorities.

The youths, who appeared in court in t-shirts and flip-flops, were told that they needn’t have gone through all this trouble, seeing as an EU national and a holder of a Spanish residence permit they had the right to travel in the EU.

The prosecution, led by Inspector Mario Haber, said that while the pair had cooperated with the police they needed to be taught a lesson.

However, lawyer Joe Ellis, appearing for the youths, insisted that this was a prank gone wrong, adding that they were sorry for their actions.

Magistrate Josette Demicoli, taking the guilty plea into consideration, handed down a four month jail term that was suspended for two years for each of the men.

She also warned the accused about the serious repercussions of another brush with the law during that period of time.