No bail for man accused of petrol station thefts

An unemployed man was remanded in custody this afternoon after pleading not guilty to a number of thefts from two service stations over the past weeks.

Dennis Cremona, 42, from Marsa, was charged with stealing cash from a service station in Attard on three separate occasions this month. He is also accused of theft from another petrol station in Ghaxaq during the night of July 6. The amount of cash stolen in all four robberies did not emerge in today's sitting.

Cremona was also charged with causing voluntary damage to third party property during the aggravated thefts and with relapsing.

Defence lawyer Joseph Brincat requested bail, explaining that the accused had to take care of his elderly mother who had recently been uprooted from her home by her landlord, thanks to a clause in her lease agreement.

Brincat argued that the presumption of innocence always favoured the accused. Although the man had a criminal record, this same record demonstrated that he had always appeared in court to face justice.

Inspector Elton Taliana, prosecuting, objected to bail, pointing out that investigations were still ongoing and there was a likelihood of the accused being linked to other thefts.

Civilian witnesses were also still to testify, said the inspector.

Magistrate Josette Demicoli denied bail due to the serious nature of the offences and the fact that the accused did not satisfy the requisites for release from custody.