Joint police investigation nabs car battery thief

A self-confessed car battery thief has been jailed for over three and a half years, after admitting to court that he would steal to fuel his drug habit.

Christopher Mifsud, 31, from Birkrirkara was arraigned before duty magistrate Ian Farrugia this morning and charged with 17 counts of theft.

Mifsud would remove the batteries from parked vans and trucks and sell them to scrap merchants, using the ill-gotten earnings to fund his drug addiction.

He was arrested after a joint investigation by three police inspectors from the same district, who noticed a pattern to the thefts.

None of the stolen batteries were recovered.

In court, Mifsud pleaded guilty and was jailed for three years and seven months.

Lawyer Marouska Debono was defence counsel.

Inspectors Roderick Agius, Kylie Borg and Alfredo Mangion prosecuted.