Man remanded in custody over string of thefts while out on bail

A 30-year-old man from Qormi was remanded in custody on Monday after being accused of committing a long list of thefts whilst on bail.

Andreas Buhagiar, who is well known to the police, was arraigned before magistrate Marseann Farrugia, accused of multiple counts of theft, as well as breaching bail conditions and recidivism.

Buhagiar was accused of the aggravated theft of a Toyota Vitz from St. Paul’s Bay in September 2023, as well as handling the stolen car. He was also accused of similar charges with regards to the theft of another car, a Toyota Townace, from Qormi.

He was also accused of stealing tools and air compressors from a garage in Qormi, and causing voluntary damage to the premises. The man was further charged with causing damage to third party property and stealing a cash register, cash, and cases of cigarettes from a parked food truck in another part of the town.

Other charges relate to the theft of numberplates from a parked car and with the burglary of a restaurant in Rabat, which was aggravated by means, time and value, as well as with causing damage to the restaurant.

The prosecution also charged Buhagiar with breaching three sets of bail conditions, the earliest of which date back to 2020 and with committing an offence whilst under a temporary supervision order that he had been placed under by the Criminal Court.

Buhagiar pleaded not guilty to the charges. His lawyer, Yanika Bugeja, did not request bail at this stage.

Prosecutor Giuliana Magro Conti from the Office of the Attorney General assisted police inspectors Roderick Attard. Joseph Mallia, Francesca Maria Calleja and John Sammut.