Man posing as meter reader robs elderly woman

Water Services Corporation storekeeper Fabian Vella, 35, from Paola has pleaded not guilty to robbing an 87-year-old woman after gaining entry to her home under the pretence of taking a reading from her water meter.

Vella was charged with theft aggravated by violence, means, place and time in connection with the theft that took place at Qormi on 3 March, at around 3:15pm.

Inspector Chantelle Casha told magistrate Joe Mifsud that a week ago, Vella had been arrested over the theft of a woman's wallet at Qormi on 20 March and had admitted to doing so with the police. The victim, a widow who was an acquaintance of the accused, had invited him in, but after he left, she had noticed that her wallet was missing. During the course of their investigation, forensic experts had found evidence linking him to an earlier theft which had taken place on 3 March.

On 3 March, Vella is believed to have tricked an 87-year-old woman into letting him into her home by saying he was a WSC official.

When the elderly lady opened the door slightly to see who it was, he had violently pushed it open, knocking the woman over in the process, inspector Casha said.

“She had pointed him towards €20 which were on the kitchen table and said that was all she had. She was wise enough to press Telecare button.”

When the police had confronted him with the evidence, the court was told, he had admitted to the 3 March crime.

The unassuming and slightly built accused was also charged in connection with the theft of a collection box from a MUSEUM Catholic Doctrine school in Tarxien. The thief had left a soft drink bottle at scene, which was found to have his fingerprints on it. He had denied stealing the collection box and when confronted with the fingerprints bottle had said he had “gone to speak to the Superjur about a friend's son.”

Vella was additionally accused of relapsing and breaching probation.

Defence lawyer George Anton Buttigieg entered a plea of not guilty and requested bail.

The accused is in stable employment, the lawyer argued, and if refused bail, he would lose his job and “would end up in bigger trouble.” The accused was scheduled to enter drug rehab tomorrow, Buttigieg said. “He had overcome his drug addiction but had relapsed after his mother's recent passing. He needs help and to begin receiving it, he will start tomorrow...these are the facts.”

The court said it understood the defence's concern but said that losing a mother did not entitle him to hurt another mother.  

“I cannot not protect society,” the magistrate said as he refused bail. “The elderly cannot be allowed to be terrorised in their own home. He pretends to be a waterworks worker, forces his way in and steals the little money which she is living on.”