Somali men convicted over Paceville theft

A 21-year-old Somali man was this morning handed a two-year jail term suspended for four years after pleading guilty to robbing a Romanian man in Paceville. Another Somali man, 32-year-old Abdulahi Adow, pleaded not guilty to the charges and was remanded in custody.

The incident occurred on Sunday morning at about 5am when the victim, Bogdan-Marius Cainaru, of Romania, fell asleep on a bench in Paceville, when one of the accused, Bashir Abdulahi Ahmed, approached him and robbed him.

Ahmed’s partner in crime Abdulahi Adow is said to have carried out the robbery as well.

Taking the witness stand, Cainaru told the court that after a night out in Paceville, he sat on a bench while waiting for his friends. At some point he fell asleep, only to be woken up by a person trying to take his belongings.

“They stole my IPhone 5S which is valued at around €650, my driving licence, wallet, a credit card, as well as a transport card,” he said, before adding that the accused were then instantly apprehended by nearby police officers.

Cross-examined by the defence, the victim told the court that he was not drunk and that he had only drank a glass of wine at the cocktail. Asked why he decided to sleep on a bench rather than go home, he said that it was customary for him to wait for his friends so they could go home together at around 5:30am.

21-year-old Ahmed pleaded guilty to the theft and was handed a two-year imprisonment term suspended for four years, while Abdulahi Adow pleaded not guilty to the theft, to breaching bail conditions, and to committing the crime during the operative period of a suspended sentence.

The prosecution led by Inspector Trevor Micallef objected to bail, insisting that Adow cannot be trusted because he already breached bail conditions. Moreover, the prosecution explained that the accused has constantly failed to sign the bail sheet and that he was meant to be indoors when the theft occurred.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli upheld the prosecution’s plea and remanded Abdulahi Adow in custody.

Lawyer Joseph Mizzi was legal aid.