Court shows lenience to Moroccan burglar who agreed to testify against accomplice

A Moroccan burglar has been jailed for two and a half years after she agreed to plead guilty and testify against a man who allegedly took part in one of the robberies.

Meriam Abdussalam Mouaddea, 41, was charged with having, along with another person, stolen €4,000 in cash from a St Paul’s Bay flat on 27 June 2016.

She was also charged with stealing €2,000 in cash from another St Paul’s Bay apartment on 31 October and of stealing €282 from a house in Hamrun on Monday. The woman was further charged with breaching a probation order and relapsing.

Sources explained that the accused knew the victims, who are all foreigners.

Magistrate Joe Mifsud said burglaries often had serious consequences and the experience could traumatise the victims. “I have seen many families broken by such experiences through the years working as a court expert. Some people refuse to go back to their homes as a result of the trauma and have to sell the property.”

He insisted that foreigners who did not abide by the rules should be sent back. “Those who do not deserve to be our guests should be returned to their countries rather than stay and create social tension.”

Defence lawyer Joe Brincat told the court that the woman had spent years caring for a person who had suddenly disappeared, leaving her jobless and without money.

The court said it had no option but to jail the accused if she admitted to the crime but said it would hand down a minimum sentence if she pleaded guilty at an early stage and testified against her accomplice.

The woman was initially reluctant and said she did not wish to spend a long time in prison because of her health condition. She told the magistrate that she was afraid she would end up behind bars while her accomplice would run free. Dr Mifsud assured her that the police would arrest the man and ordered the officers to issue an arrest warrant there and then.

The woman finally agreed to the sentence proposed by the magistrate – 30 months in prison.

Inspectors Robert Vella and Nicholas Vella prosecuted. Dr Joe Brincat appeared for the accused.