Youths charged with stealing truck and selling it for parts

Two youths were this morning charged with stealing a Morris BMC truck from Qormi and for later scrapping it for parts.

The incident occurred on 23 April at about 3.30am, when the accused, James Azzopardi, 25, of Qormi, and Jurgen Gatt, 22, of Zebbug, allegedly stole the truck from a field in Canon Road, Qormi.

The vehicle was subsequently driven to a scrap yard in Marsa and sold for scrap. 

The accused were then paid around €1,000 for the parts.

Standing before the court this morning, the accused were charged with stealing the vehicle and handling stolen property. Azzopardi was also accused of driving the stolen vehicle, while his partner in crime was charged with breaching bail conditions.

They pleaded not guilty.

Magistrate Miriam Hayman granted the accused bail against a deposit of €2,000 and a personal guarantee of €10,000, and were ordered to sign a bail sheet at their respective police stations.

In handing down the judgement, the Magistrate warned them against relapsing, and insisted that if they were to commit another crime while out on bail, they would remain in custody during proceedings.

Lawyers Roberto Montalto represented Azzopardi while Lawyer Mark Busuttil represented Gatt.