A Spanish national has been fined £2,000 in court this morning following an incident within British Gibraltar Territorial Waters last year.

Juan Antonio MARTIN PEREZ, 47, of La Linea, who has been wanted by the Royal Gibraltar Police for almost seven months, handed himself into police yesterday and was charged with:

•         Resisting or Obstructing Police
•         Fishing for Tuna without a Licence
•         Dangerous User (Contrary to Sec.10 of the Sea Side and Pleasure Boats Rules 1989).

MARTIN PEREZ pleaded guilty to all three charges. He received a £1,000 fine for Fishing for Tuna without a Licence, a £1,000 fine for Resisting or Obstructing Police and no separate fine for driving his pleasure boat dangerously.

It follows an incident on September 15^th last year when Marine Section officers were patrolling local waters south of Europa Point.

Officers observed a Spanish registered motor vessel, which appeared to be tuna fishing in breach of the season regulations and without a permit.

Officers attempted to stop the vessel, which MARTIN PEREZ initially complied with.

However, when asked for his licence, he fled the area in his vessel, swerving repeatedly and made dangerous manoeuvres to avoid capture, before leaving jurisdictional waters.