Sham mechanic charged with fraud, remanded in custody

A sham mechanic who charged an elderly client over €14,000 to fix a faulty gear lever has been remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to fraud charges.

Joseph Cioffi, 36 from Xghajra, was arraigned before Magistrate Doreen Clarke this morning by Inspectors Raymond Aquilina and Christabelle Chetcuti. The accused had allegedly accepted to perform a simple repair job on a Skoda, belonging to a 76-year old man, but the job was never performed, the accused repeatedly charging his unfortunate client for a series of spurious reasons.

Inspector Chetcuti opposed a request for bail, telling the magistrate that the accused had approached witnesses and threatened the victim at his home, also threatening the victim’s family members. His statement to police was practically empty and the accused had several previous convictions, added the inspector.

Parte civile lawyer Benjamin Valencia corroborated this, informing the court that the victim had also informed him of this.

Defence lawyer Noel Bartolo objected to to Valencia’s submission, telling the court that he had no right of audience during an arraignment. Bartolo suggested to the court that conditions could be imposed preventing him from approaching any witnesses, reminding the court that the accused was presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

The prosecution informed the court that after being arrested, the accused had attempted to slit his own throat and was eventually referred to Mount Carmel Hospital. This institution had not notified the police when he was released.

Before the police were even aware that he was not being treated any more, the accused had not only approached the elderly victim but also threatened his family with police action. “I don’t think the accused is trustworthy,” concluded the inspector.

The court denied the request for bail.