Thief, nabbed in unexpected meeting with victim at police station, gets 12 months

 Clinton Dalton was identified by his victim at the police station while signing his bail book

A man who stole €350 from a car parked inside a garage before giving his chasing victim the slip, only to be recognised by the same victim whilst signing a bail book at a police station, has been jailed for a year.

Clinton Dalton stood accused of the theft from a garage in Triq is-Sajf, St. Paul's Bay in 2014. After slipping in through the unlocked door, Dalton made off with a pouch containing €350 had been on top of a car parked inside.

The pouch's owner, social worker Mario Salerno had noticed attempted to chase the thief, who managed to get away despite this.

As luck would have it, however, Dalton had walked in while Salerno was describing the incident at the police station, half an hour later.

It emerged that Dalton had gone to the police station to sign for bail, as he had been accused in connection with other incidents at the time.

Salerno had testified to having noticed Dalton outside in the street before the theft took place, telling the court that the accused had appeared to be agitated.

In a sentence delivered this afternoon, Magistrate Aaron Bugeja observed that the testimony given by Salerno had been detailed, consistent and credible. The defence argued that the man who had stolen the pouch had been dressed differently to Dalton when he had called at the police station, but this argument was dismissed by the court which noted that Dalton lived nearby and had plenty of time to change his clothes.

The court, observing Dalton's previous convictions, said that he had frittered away previous opportunities to change his ways. Dalton was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for the theft of the pouch and was ordered to pay Salerno €350.

The court. however found Dalton not guilty of a charge relating to another burglary, this time from a Mellieha apartment, pointing to the failure to compare foot and fingerprints from the scene with Dalton's.