Qormi man admits to stealing and selling two benches to pay off debt

A 32-year-old man from Qormi was this morning handed an 18-month imprisonment term suspended for four years after pleading guilty to stealing two benches from Triq il-Hlas, Qormi.

The court heard how the accused, Noel Farrugia, stole the two benches valued at around €600 to settle an outstanding debt. The thefts occurred between 2 and 3 August when the accused dislodged the benches from the pavement, loaded them into his van, and drove off.

CCTV footage showed the man stealing the benches.

Prosecuting inspector Kylie Borg told the court that the accused, who has a drug problem, then sold them as he already had a seller in mind.

Standing before Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras, the accused admitted to stealing the two benches, and to handling stolen property.

In its decree, the court noted that the man cooperated with the police during their investigations, and that he had already paid €120 to the Qormi local council. Nevertheless, the court handed the man an 18-month imprisonment term suspended for four years, and ordered him to pay the Qormi local council a total of €601.80.

The court also placed the man under a supervision order for four years, and warned him that if he fails to pay the Qormi local council in full, he would be sent to jail.

Inspector Kylie Borg prosecuted while lawyer Christopher Chircop was legal aid. Lawyer Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi represented the Qormi local council in parte civile.