Couple handed suspended prison sentence over Valletta pickpocketing spree

A couple have been handed a two-year prison sentence suspended for four years after admitting to carrying out a series of pickpocketing thefts in Valletta.

Police had launched an investigation into 44-year-old Sandu Marius and his 43-year-old wife, Lucica Ivanciv, Romania, after receiving several reports of thefts in the capital.

Investigators linked the couple to four of 22 reported pickpocketing incidents that took place between April and May. According to the police, the man allegedly carried a map which he used to discreetly pass stolen items to his wife.

The offences admitted by the couple took place between 26 April and 7 May 2026. They pleaded guilty to stealing cash and other items from four victims. They also admitted to attempting to obtain an unlawful financial gain through fraudulent means in relation to an incident involving Embassy Complex, although the offence was not completed.

The pair were arrested at the Upper Barrakka Gardens on 15 May after police reviewed CCTV footage. They were subsequently charged with a series of thefts targeting both Maltese and foreign nationals.

They were previously granted bail against a €2,000 deposit and an €8,000 personal guarantee each, on condition that they signed at a police station twice daily. The couple later registered a guilty plea to the charges brought against them.

In handing down the sentence, the court took into account the couple's early guilty plea and the fact that they had fully compensated all of the victims. While noting that they were not first-time offenders, the court ruled that the prosecution had not established recidivism because their previous sentence consisted of a probation order, which does not amount to a conviction for the purposes of the law.

The court sentenced the pair to two years' imprisonment, suspended for four years. It also issued a three-year protection order in favour of the four victims and recommended the case to the Principal Immigration Officer.

The prosecution was led by AG lawyers Stephen Gulia and Julia Micallef Stafrace together with Inspector Jeffrey Rizzo. Lawyers Franco Debono and Adreana Zammit appeared for the accused.

Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech presided over the sitting.