Homeless man denies robbing Santa Venera shops for drug money

A court has been told that struggles with drug addiction had prompted a homeless man to allegedly steal cash from retail shops in Santa Venera last month.

Police Inspector Ian Vella arraigned 40-year-old Claudio Mallia before magistrate Astrid May Grima this afternoon, charging him with two counts of aggravated theft, together with one charge of criminal damage to the shops in question, as well as recidivism.

Malia, who told the court that he was unemployed, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

His defence lawyer, Daniel Attard, requested bail, arguing that Mallia had a fixed place of residence and was facing charges which did not impinge on his family’s safety. Adding that the court would be correct to protect the alleged victims, the lawyer suggested that it could impose measures to protect any witness and the alleged victims.

This would negate any risk of suborning witnesses or tampering with evidence, Attard submitted, pointing out that Mallia did not have any previous convictions for bail breaches.

Inspector Vella objected to the man’s release however. While Mallia’s ID card listed him as living at his mother’s house, the accused had told police that he was currently living on the streets. Drug addiction had reduced him to committing theft, added the inspector.

He informed the court that in 2019, Mallia had been convicted of a similar offence, served his sentence and had now repeated the crime after his release from prison.

The court, after hearing the submissions on bail, denied the request and ordered Mallia to be remanded in custody, in view of his criminal record and the fact that he had no fixed place of residence, as well as to minimise the risk of subornation of civilian witnesses.

The court also dictated a recommendation to the prison director, asking him to provide the man with the necessary assistance in view of his problems with drug abuse.