New judge calls for uniformity in decisions, including ban on names

In his first sitting as a judge, Mr Justice Wenzu Mintoff called for uniformity in sentencing and made a case for people to be told in layman's terms what was going on. He said the language used in court was difficult for people to understand and it thus had to be the judge to explain it to the people. Moreover, there was also the need of a sentencing policy so that people understood why and how certain decisions were taken. The new judge criticised the media for its "sensational" reporting of court cases which was "fanned" by the social media, but said the judiciary needed to follow certain guidelines, especially with regard to sentencing, such as on bail or the ban on the publication of people's names. "Transparency and uniformity is needed but this does not mean that the discretion of the judge or magistrate will be undermined in any way," he said. Dignitaries present for his sitting included Acting President Dolores Cristina, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici, Attorney General Peter Grech, various members of the judiciary and Mr Justice Mintoff's family. Mr Justice Mintoff also spoke about how he will now start leading a life of solitude and of how there were times in his past...