Sport goods thief admits to theft of items worth €550

A 25-year-old Floriana resident has been conditionally discharged for two years after he admitted to stealing €550 worth of sports goods from a Birkirkara shop.

Niko Zammit, who has a drug dependency problem, was arraigned last by Inspector James Grech, accused of tearing off the items’ security alarm tags and walking out of the shop.

Before magistrate Joe Mifsud, Zammit pleaded guilty to the charges and also admitted to recidivism. He had previously been convicted of ripping a handbag off the shoulder of a 68-year-old woman in Valletta, dislocating her shoulder in the process.

The court, in sentencing the accused, took into consideration the fact that the accused had pleaded guilty at an early stage in the proceedings. Both the prosecution and the defence had submitted that a prison sentence would not be ideal in the circumstances.

For these reasons the court conditionally discharged the accused for two years and explained the serious consequences of reoffending during that period.

The court also ordered Zammit to reimburse €550.80, representing the value of the items he had stolen, to the company within six months.