15 months in prison for man who escaped rehab programme

A court has sentenced a prison inmate, who pleaded guilty to charges of theft and escaping from a Caritas rehabilitation programme, to a further 15 months’ incarceration.

Oivend Xuereb, 30, originally from Floriana, had pleaded guilty after he was arraigned last week before Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit by police inspectors Carlos Cordina and Jason Francis Sultana, charged with aggravated theft of valuables from a hotel in Paceville. 

In addition to the theft charge, Xuereb was accused of disobeying a legitimate order issued by a public authority, breaching the peace and escaping from the Caritas Prison Inmates Programme. He had escaped from the Caritas program just one week before completion. He is also a relapser.

The accused had previously been jailed for four years and six months in 2011 after admitting to 14 counts of theft. By the time that sentence had been delivered, however, he was already serving a separate sentence for car theft.