Man charged with robbing elderly women warned to change his ways

A court has urged a man accused of robbing two elderly women earlier this month to change his ways for the sake of his young son.

Gilmore Grima, 23, from Kalkara, was arraigned before Magistrate Joe Mifsud yesterday morning, accused of two counts of aggravated theft. Grima was charged with having stolen a necklace from a 65-year-old woman in Tarxien on 12 October and with stealing other objects from a 69-year-old woman in Kalkara on 16 October.

Grima was also accused of failing to hand over a lost object which he had found on 11 October to the police. A fourth charge, recidivism, was also made against the man.

Police Inspector Lydon Zammit, prosecuting together with Inspectors Fabian Fleri and Paul Camilleri, told the court that the police had examined CCTV footage following several reports of thefts. While officers were speaking to the victim, news arrived that the stolen items had been found at a place where the accused was spotted.

Grima was then arrested and admitted his guilt to the police, although he subsequently denied the charges during his interrogation, according to the inspector.

Defence lawyer Carm Mifsud Bonnici entered a not guilty plea on behalf of the accused. He asked for bail as the accused’s son was in hospital, waiting to be operated on and the man wanted to go see him and assist the mother.

Magistrate Joe Mifsud pointed out that the court did not tolerate violence on the elderly. “The court protects society, especially the vulnerable,” announced the magistrate.

Bail was denied, but the court did make a recommendation that the prison authorities grant the necessary permission to have the accused present at hospital during his son’s surgery, also for the purposes of granting parental consent to the surgery.

The court urged the man to change the path he was on, if not for himself, for the sake of his son.