No bail for man accused of 2AM mobile phone theft from Paceville

A man has been remanded in custody over a short-lived theft of a mobile phone in Paceville early this morning.

Inspector Trevor Micallef accused Abdiwahab Hassan Omar 25, of stealing a top-of-the-range Samsung S6 Edge mobile phone worth some €700, €10 in cash and a credit card from a female tourist at around 2AM this morning in St. George's road, Paceville. He was apprehended by the police as he tried to run away.

The Somalian man, who told the court this morning that he lived in Sannat in Gozo, pleaded not guilty to charges of theft aggravated by value and time. He also informed the court that he was unemployed.

Lawyer Mark Mifsud Cutajar, defending the accused as legal aid, requested bail.

Inspector Micallef told the court that although the accused gave his address as Gozo, he had told police that he had been living in Malta recently, but would say where. He opposed the request for bail on the grounds that the accused's address was unclear, adding that the victim was also still to testify.

Magistrate Francesco Depasquale, having heard the request for bail and seeing that the accused could easily abscond from the island, as well as the fact that the victim had not yet been heard, turned down the bail request.