John Culatto
A SPANISH man who fled from Gibraltar police after being asked for his tuna fishing licence at sea has been fined £2,000 at the Magistrates Court today.
Juan Antonio Martin Perez, 47, a restaurant manager from La Linea, was wanted by the Royal Gibraltar Police for the last seven months.
It followed an incident on September 15 when he was confronted by the RGP Marine Section off Europa Point.
Officers noted that Martin Perez seemed to be fishing for tuna on a Spanish registered boat in breach of the season rules and without a permit.
At first he complied with the officer’s request to stop but when asked for his licence, the La Linea man sped off.
Although the police gave chase, Martin Perez made dangerous maneuvers to evade being caught before leaving Gibraltar waters.
Nearly seven months after the incident, he handed himself in to police and pleaded guilty to three charges in court.
Martin Perez will now have to pay £1,000 for each of the two charges of resisting police and fishing for tuna without a licence.
He will not have to pay a separate fine for driving his boat dangerously.
Gibraltar imposes its own rules on tuna fishing to keep fish stocks up and maintain a more environmentally-friendly ecosystem.
