Homeless thief granted two-year conditional discharge, must refund stolen €160

A court has handed a conditional discharge to a homeless man after he admitted to stealing items from a shop in Sliema.

Daniel Hurley, 43, from the UK, was arraigned before magistrate Rachel Montebello this afternoon, accused of stealing four bottles of perfume, four wireless headphones, a wireless charger and speaker from a Bisazza street shop. The items, valued at €160 in total, were stolen in two thefts, 9 days apart, the last one being on 17 May.

The man was also accused of living an idle and vagrant life.

He was arrested after police identified him from CCTV footage from the shop he robbed.

Hurley pleaded guilty to the charges.

Lawyer Ramon Bonett Sladden, appearing for the accused, submitted that the man needed “all manner of assistance” to get his life back on track and that his sentence ought to reflect this, with opportunities for reform being given to him.

Hurley had expressed remorse and cooperated with the police, the court was told.

Magistrate Montebello, after taking into account the accused’s cooperation with the police, his remorse and his personal circumstances, did not jail the man, opting instead to conditionally discharge him for 2 years. He was also ordered to refund the stolen €160.

Inspector Colin Sheldon prosecuted.