Man caught trying to break into parked vehicle

A would-be car thief, who was caught in the act of breaking into a parked vehicle, was found to be in possession of cannabis resin during his arrest, a court heard yesterday.

Ismail Ahmed Ali, 22, an unemployed man from Somalia, who told the court he had no fixed address, had been apprehended at 2AM on Monday in Triq il-Wied, Msida, after his attempt to break into a parked car was foiled by the vehicle’s owner. Ali had run off after the owner disrupted the crime, but was arrested a short distance away. The arresting officers also found an unspecified amount of cannabis resin in his possession.

Ali later told police he had been drunk at the time of the offence. Drunkenness is not an excuse at law.

Following his arrest on Monday, the man was arraigned before magistrate Audrey Demicoli yesterday morning. Inspector Mark Mercieca charged the man with attempted theft, aggravated by means, time and the nature of the thing stolen. He was also charged with wilful damage to private property, possession of cannabis resin and being drunk and incapable of taking care of himself in a public place.

Sources said that Ali faces up to 9 months in prison for the charges.

After defence, prosecution and magistrate conferred briefly on the matter in private, the man entered a plea of not guilty. Defence lawyer Joseph Ellis, appointed as legal aid to the accused, reserved the right to request bail at a later stage of the proceedings. In the meantime the man will be remanded in custody.