Thief comes a cropper over stolen copper

A van driver who took evasive action when he noticed a police roadblock and then jettisoned a number of stolen copper pipes on the roadside has been found guilty of aggravated theft by a court.

Anthony Abela, 44, of Qormi was jailed for three years by a magistrate’s court, after it held that the evidence was unequivocal in pointing towards his guilt.

Abela had been charged with stealing a number of copper pipes from a construction site in Albert Town in Marsa, stealing number plates from a car in Luqa, handling stolen goods, driving an unlicenced and uninsured car, breaching bail conditions and relapsing.

At around 1:00AM on the 1st of April 2014, RIU officers manning a roadblock in Albert Town had spotted the car as it approached, seeing it switch off its lights and shift into reverse gear in an attempt to slink away, unnoticed, into a side street.

The car was followed and eventually stopped by officers. A number of copper pipes had been recovered from the vicinity. The next day, the police received a report that several copper pipes had been stolen from a construction site.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli found Abela guilty and sentenced him to three years imprisonment, revoking his bail and ordering his re-arrest. Abela was also disqualified from holding a driving licence for twelve months.