Eight-month suspended sentence after man admits stealing steel beams in Marsaxlokk

A man has been handed an 18-month prison sentence suspended for three years, after admitting to stealing steel beams from a property in Marsaxlokk.

Alfred Grixti was found guilty of aggravated theft by value and by means after stealing steel beams from a property in Marsaxlokk.

The case dates back to 18 January 2022, when a number of steel beams placed on the property for reuse went missing. The prosecution initially alleged that 32 beams worth €11,800 had been stolen. However, evidence presented in court established that the actual number was significantly lower.

In his statement, Grixti admitted to taking between 14 and 15 beams while under the influence of drugs. His version was corroborated by the scrapyard owner and delivery driver, who confirmed that approximately 15 beams weighing around two tonnes were delivered, for which Grixti received €300, upon submitting them to the scrap yard, partly in cash and partly by cheque, which was later encashed.

A court-appointed expert concluded that the number of beams could not have exceeded 18 and that their total weight amounted to 2,328kg, with a value of approximately €1,100 excluding VAT. Although this was considerably less than the value alleged by the injured party, the court held that it still exceeded the legal threshold required for the aggravation by value to apply.

The court further found the aggravation by means to subsist, after it emerged that Grixti had entered the property by climbing over a fence approximately one metre high and used a vehicle to lift and remove the beams.

The court also examined GGrixti’scriminal record, including a 2019 judgment in which he had been handed a 15-month prison sentence suspended for 36 months following a breach of probation related to theft. Since the present offence was committed during the operative period of that suspended sentence, the court found that there had been a breach of the suspended term.

In determining punishment, the court gave considerable weight to Grixti’s progress in overcoming his drug addiction. Professionals from Caritas and the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers confirmed that he had been consistently following a rehabilitation programme, attending sessions regularly and producing negative urine tests.

The court also took into account emotional testimony from his daughter, who described the positive transformation she had witnessed in her father since he began treatment, and how the family had regained the person they had lost to addiction.

In light of all the circumstances, the court found Grixti guilty of the first and third charges and imposed an 18-month prison sentence suspended for three years, warning him seriously of the consequences should he reoffend.

Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech presided over the sitting.