Lunchbox thief gets suspended sentence

A Somali man living in Zejtun has been handed a suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to stealing a lunchbox from a parked car last night.

Inspector Robert Vella presented the unemployed 20-year-old, Abdiqani Mahad Mohamed, under arrest before Magistrate Doreen Clarke this morning, charged with breaking into a parked Skoda in Marsa, damaging the vehicle in the process, as well as the theft of the lunchbox.

The man, assisted by lawyer Noel Bartolo as legal aid, made no attempt to defend himself, immediately admitting to the charges.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke sentenced him to 16 months in prison suspended for 18 months, making sure that the implications of the sentence were explained to him through an interpreter.