Man admits to aggravated theft after stealing a laptop to sell for €20 to buy food for himself

A man has admitted to aggravated theft after stealing a laptop to sell for €20 to buy food for himself.

This emerged in court on Friday as Mohamed Mohamoud Omar, 22, from Somalia, a resident at the Ħal Far Tent Village, was charged with stealing a bag containing a laptop and other valuables from a car parked in Marsa on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Nadia Ciappara and Police Inspector Sarah Kathleen Zerafa charged Omar with theft, aggravated by a number of factors.

The court was told how on October 31, the police had received a report of theft from a parked car in Marsa. CCTV footage showed a man taking the stolen bag out of the victim’s car. Later on, that evening, a police patrol in Marsa spotted the defendant, who was wearing the same clothes as the man in the footage and arrested him.

Omar pleaded guilty to the charges, his legal aid lawyer Joseph Bonnici arguing that he had resorted to crime in order to feed himself. “He stole an €800 laptop and sold it for €20 because he couldn’t afford food,” said the lawyer, who added that the man was also addicted to cigarettes.

In his submissions on punishment, the lawyer asked the court to take into account the fact that the defendant was young, had no criminal record and was currently “staying at a resort which is not recommendable,” - a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Hal Far Tent Village.

Magistrate Noel Bartolo sentenced Omar to imprisonment for one year, suspended for three.