AFM soldiers jailed, handed suspended sentence for foiled burglary

Three soldiers of the Armed Forces of Malta and two other accomplices were this morning convicted of attempting to loot a showroom in Victoria, Gozo at the end of September.

Ronnie Mackay, Robert Agius, and Daniel Vella, all members of the AFM, were also found guilty of committing a crime they were duty bound to prevent.

In a decree handed down at the Gozo court this morning, presiding Magistrate Joanne Vella Cuschieri, jailed Ronnie Mackay for 18 months.

Robert Agius, 42, of San Gwann, and Daniel Vella, of Nadur, both AFM soldiers were jailed for 13 months suspended for three years, while Juanito Jimenez, 21, and Karl Buttigieg, 32, both of Hamrun, were jailed for 18 months and 26 months respectively after they pleaded guilty to relapsing and to breaching bail conditions.

The attempted theft occurred on 30 September at around 8:15pm, when the five men tried to rob Bubbles Bathrooms in Triq Fortunato Mizzi, Victoria.

The burglary was however thwarted when the shop owner caught the thieves when the preparing to open a safe which contained cash.

A car believed to have been used by the men was found close to the showroom.

The men then drove off towards the Mgarr Terminal, before police arrested them on board the Gozo Channel.

In its decree, the court noted that Raymond Caruana – the owner of Bubbles bathrooms – had forgiven the thieves.

Inspectors Bernard Spiteri and Arthur Mercieca prosecuted.