Court ups thief's prison sentence on appeal, says it has been 'too patient' with her

An appeals court has increased a woman’s prison sentence for theft, in view of her apparent lack of motivation to tackle her drug addiction.

Daniela Spiteri, 40 from St. Julian's, had originally been sentenced to 13 months in prison in 2018, after being convicted of the aggravated theft of items from two shops, four years prior. Spiteri had then filed an appeal.

Handing down judgement earlier this week, Madame Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera, presiding the Court of Criminal Appeal, observed that Spiteri had not taken up the many opportunities afforded to her by courts in the past to overcome her dependency.

The judge ruled that the courts had been “too patient” with the woman, who she said, had frittered away several opportunities to get back on the straight and narrow. Spiteri had unilaterally decided to stop cooperating with her probation officer, noted the court. As several months had passed since then with no progress being made, the judge said that she had decided to stop giving Spiteri further opportunities and would, instead, punish the woman for breaching the probation order that she had originally been handed in 2020.

Finding Spiteri guilty of theft aggravated by value, the court jailed her for two years.

The judge also requested the prison director to provide the woman with the assistance she required to address her drug abuse problem.

Inspector Priscilla Caruana prosecuted.