Teenager jailed for violent theft from great aunt

An 18-year-old from Msida has been jailed after his third arraignment for stealing his elderly great-aunt’s pension money.

Unemployed Dante Buhagiar appeared before magistrate Monica Vella this morning, arraigned by Inspectors Stephen Gulia and Lydon Zammit and charged with aggravated theft, causing slight injury to the 77-year-old victim and with breaching two court judgments.

Legal aid lawyer Martin Fenech told the court that the man had cooperated with police and that the charge of slight injuries was “far fetched” as the victim had only suffered abrasions on her back. The accused had a “small cocaine problem,” said the lawyer.

Inspector Gulia argued that the woman was of a very fragile stature and had been fortunate not to suffer worse injuries.

The probation orders Buhagiar had been handed were over thefts from the same victims, said the inspector. “Now it is getting more serious,” he added, as this time violence was used. His probation officer had told the police that Buhagiar was not cooperating at all, Gulia went on.

The magistrate gave the 18-year-old a dressing down, the details of which the press was prohibited from reporting on, before jailing him for three months.

As the accused appeared not to have appreciated the previous chances given to him, and in view of the fact that the victims are elderly and disabled, the court said it could not give the accused another opportunity as this was the third time he was robbing the same person.

The prosecution pointed out that sentence was below the minimum at law, but the court said it was taking into account the age of the accused and his early admission. The magistrate also extended Buhagiar’s probation orders by three years