Suspect claims to have been victim of plot to have him jailed

A father of five, Keith Pace, 31 of Marsa, who has spent almost his entire youth in jail, made an impassioned plea to Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona this morning, insisting that he was being wrongly charged for a crime he didn't commit.

Pace, who is currently in prison and awaiting to be released next month for a separate conviction, explained that he has been in and out of prison since he was 19 years old.

"I have served two four-year jail terms, an 18-month stretch and another year," Pace told the Court, adding that he had nothing to do with a theft committed by Alfred Bugeja, better known as 'il-Porporina', and Raymond Borg 'il-Borża' back in March 2009.

Pace was out on bail in 2009 when he was arrested at the Hamrun police station by Inspector Keith Arnaud during investigations connected to the theft of children's clothes and a Toyota van, which was later found burnt.

According to Pace, he was approached by Bugeja and Borg in prison and asked to pay €4,000 for them to testify in his favour, and tell the court that he had nothing to do with the theft.

He added that Bugeja and Borg had told him that they had implicated him in the theft because the prosecuting inspector had promised them bail when charged.

This statement was however contradicted by Inspector Arnaud, who explained that the other two suspects were handed definite jail terms.

Arnaud added that Pace's footprint was found inside the stolen van, and a box containing some of the stolen clothes were found in his garage.

At this point, Pace told the Court that he had lent €100 to Bugeja and Borg, and was given a box with children's clothes as collateral. He also added that he was given the key to a garage belonging to Borg, which he secretly made a copy of in a bid to secure the €100 loan, should he not be repaid.

He explained that when he went to Borg's garage, he stepped into the van to retrieve another box of clothes to ensure that he gets his money's worth in goods.

Pace said that now Alfred Bugeja was ready to testify to exonerate him from the crime.

The case has been put off to hear Bugeja on April 17.