Prolific Sicilian thief jailed for seven years before deportation

A prolific Sicilian thief who admitted to carrying out 15 separate thefts between December and January has been handed a long jail sentence, after which he will be deported.

Carmelo Ciranna, 41, was accused of 15 thefts between 25 December and 8 January, targeting homes in Marsascala, Żabbar and Birkirkara. A petrol station in Qormi was also robbed of its stock of car batteries by the Sicilian.

Jewellery, watches, electronics, ornaments and cash, thought to be worth some €100,000 in total were stolen in the thefts. Ciranna had also been charged with causing voluntary damage to property in relation to each of the incidents. Given the amount of money involved, had he not pleaded guilty to the charges, he would have faced a trial by jury.

The court noted that Ciranna, who is unemployed and struggles with drug addiction, had a voluminous criminal record and that the prosecution had said that he had cooperated with police investigations into just one of the thefts.

The court took into consideration the fact that the man's actions had taken a toll on the victims. Lawyer Jason Azzopardi had told the court that the crimes had “torn lives apart”, and that while the family expected adequate punishment, their aim was to recover some of what was stolen from them.

Magistrate Joe Mifsud pointed out that Cirana had thrown away several opportunities to turn his life around. “The fact that the accused had been granted parole and breached the conditions tied to this should not cast a bad light on this useful measure in reparative justice.” In its sentence, the court praised those who worked in this sector.

Ciranna was jailed for seven years and ordered to pay the costs of the case, after which he would be repatriated under the Immigration Act. He was also ordered to undergo treatment for drug addiction during his incarceration.

Lawyer Noel Bartolo appeared as legal aid lawyer for the accused.

Lawyer Jason Azzopardi appeared in parte civile for the victims.

Inspectors Kurt Zahra, Christabelle Chetcuti and Elton Taliana prosecuted.