Father and son charged with stealing car, setting it on fire

A father and son from Floriana have been remanded in custody after allegedly stealing a Mercedes for parts and then setting it on fire.

Alfred Tonna, 49, and his 16year-old son, who cannot be named due to his age, were arraigned before Magistrate Joe Mifsud yesterday morning, accused of the crime.

Inspectors Fabian Fleri, Jonathan Ransley and Lydon Zammit charged the pair with aggravated theft and voluntarily setting fire to the car. Alfred Tonna was further charged with breaching a suspended sentence and recidivism. His son was also further charged with breaching the conditions of a court judgment.

The Mercedes was stolen from Gudja and was dismantled for parts before being set ablaze.

Lawyer Alfred Abela pleaded not guilty to the charges on behalf of his clients and asked for bail.

Inspector Fleri objected and explained that there were civilian witnesses including a young child who were yet to testify. The charges were of “a certain gravity,” he said.

The father was a recidivist several times over, he said.

Abela argued that the crime had happened in April and that if the accused were going to suborn any witnesses, this would already have happened. He said the court could impose conditions. The court, however, denied bail and ordered that the pair be remanded in custody.