Man jailed 8 months over Mellieħa theft

A 47-year-old man from Burmarrad was sentenced to eight months imprisonment after he was found guilty of being complicit in a theft which took place at a home in Mellieha.

The accused, Francis Formosa, was charged with having, together with another person, stolen items from a house on 8 July 2014.

Formosa was also charged with breaching five separate bail conditions that had been handed down by several magistrates in other pending court cases.

Magistrate Josette Demicoli, presiding over the case, heard how on the day in question, the police were informed of two persons acting in a suspicious way in Qortin Street.

Constables William Galea and Matthew Vella from the Rapid Intervention Unit were instructed go on site and investigate, where they recognised the vehicle mentioned in the report and also saw two suspicious men inside.

One of the constables recognised the accused, and proceeded to carry out a search of the vehicle. Nothing was found but in the meantime the other constable spotted a man jumping off a wall, holding a bag which contained some precious items.

Formosa and the other man, identified as Josef Buttigieg, 37, from Birkirkara, were arrested.

During his arraignment, Buttigieg pleaded guilty to entering the private property in order to steal and was sentenced to two years imprisonment.

Formosa, on the other hand, did not admit to being complicit to the theft and insisted that he had gone up to Mellieha with Buttigieg because the latter was supposed to be paying an overdue rent bill.

During Buttigieg’s arraignment, he had also testified to this effect, saying that Formosa knew nothing while he had purposely tried to enter the woman’s home as he had seen her leaving.

Magistrate Demicoli did not believe the version of events for a number of reasons, such as the accused’s assertion that Buttigieg, when the police had found Formosa and in the driver’s seat.

In addition to this, when the police spotted one of the men next to a tree outside the house, the excuse given was that he had to relieve himself but in fact the police found no evidence of this.

For these reasons Magistrate Demicoli found Formosa complicit to the theft, and jailed him for eight months.

The case was investigated by Inspectors Maurice Curmi and Arthur Mercieca who led the prosecution against both Buttigieg and Formosa.