16-year-old gang member handed suspended sentence for hotel thefts

The lawyer representing a young man, who admitted last Monday to participating in some 13 thefts from hotel rooms, accused the prosecution of "seeking their pound of flesh" when it repeatedly reminded the court of the aggravating factors to the offences, in spite of his admission.

The young man was arraigned on Monday and accused of forming part of a gang, which had stolen thousands of euro in cash and electronics from hotel rooms in the St. Paul's Bay area.

Inspector Kurt Zahra had told the court that the accused was part of “a criminal gang who preyed on tourists” and had exhibited stills from CCTV footage from the hotels, showing the accused with another person at the times indicated in the charges.

In total the gang had stolen €8,160 in cash and three mobile phones. 

The young man pleaded guilty.

Lawyer Abigail Bugeja argued that her 16-year old client had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time, telling magistrate Antonio Vella that he had been going through a rough patch and bad company had led him astray.

The court said that this was not enough, pointing out that the amount stolen was considerable.

Zahra repeatedly reminded the court of the aggravating factors and that the offence had been repeated 13 times.  "Therefore the accused had thirteen opportunities to reconsider his actions." But the youth's lawyer countered that the prosecution "are clearly after their pound of flesh."

The inspector replied that the thefts had been well planned and executed by the gang, adding that the police had not yet succeeded in identifying all of the persons whose belongings had been stolen, as many had left the island. Magistrate Vella rued the "irreparable harm these crimes did to the country's image abroad" and chastised the inspector for not trying hard enough to identify and contact the victims.

The magistrate was told that, for the most part, the loot had been distributed amongst several individuals, one mobile phone was sold and a laptop was found in the accused's bedroom.

The man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for four. "No matter how young you are, these things are not done," said the magistrate after handing down his sentence, also ordering a ban on the publication of the youth's name.