Homeless woman is jailed over three attempted burglaries, theft from car

Donatella Armeni , 36, had appeared before magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo last month, charged with attempted theft from three shops in Siggiewi during in the early hours of 25th July. She was also accused of stealing cash and a knife from inside a parked car.

A homeless drug addict has been jailed after she admitted to having broken into a car and attempted to break in to several shops.

Last month, Donatella Armeni , 36, had appeared before magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo charged with attempted theft from three shops in Siggiewi during in the early hours of 25th July, aggravated by value, means and time. She was also charged with criminal damage to the shops, stealing cash and a knife from inside a parked car in the vicinity and carrying a knife in public without the necessary police licence.

The accused pleaded guilty to the charges.

In a sentence handed down yesterday, the court observed that Armeni's criminal record showed that she had already been convicted of a number of offences over the past 9 years, for which she had been placed on probation. As the woman had “failed to learn from these experiences and had not used the opportunities given to her by the court,” the magistrate felt a custodial sentence was in order.

The court handed Armeni a 2 year prison sentence and ordered her to undergo drug rehab while serving her sentence.

Police Inspectors Saviour Baldacchino and Roderick Agius prosecuted.