Burglar, extradited from Spain to Malta over 2015 break-in, jailed for 21 months

A man who was extradited to Malta from Spain to face charges of having stolen jewellery from a St. Venera apartment in 2015 has been jailed after pleading guilty to related charges.

George Cristian Mandrescu appeared in the dock before magistrate Ian Farrugia this morning, charged by Inspector Christina Delia with having stolen the items on 19 November 2015.

Unable to trace the suspect in Malta and suspecting that he had fled the islands, the police had issued a European Arrest Warrant, leading to him being arrested in Spain last November.

Mandrescu, who comes from Romania, was charged with theft aggravated by value, place and means. He was also accused of being a recidivist.

Inspector Delia told the court that Mandrescu had fully cooperated during interrogation and had accompanied the police on a site visit, indicating the place where the robbery had taken place, also recalling some of the items stolen.

The mans had told police that at the time of the theft, he had a substance abuse problem, but had successfully tackled his addiction and had no further brushes with the law in any country.

The accused, represented by lawyer Joe Brincat, entered a guilty plea during his arraignment this morning.

After giving the man time to reconsider his admission of guilt, the court heard Mandrescu confirm his guilty plea. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison, from which the time he had spent in custody was to be deducted.