Tourists get 18 months’ jail after pleading guilty to string of thefts

Two tourists from Bulgaria - Rusanka Dimitrova Staneva, 43, and Neli Ilieva, 24 – have been sentenced to 18 months each in prison, after they were found guilty of having committed a number of thefts in Malta from 31 May to 5 June.

The two were accused of having used a woman’s stolen credit card and PIN code to on multiple occasions steal a total of €500, and to have also stolen the woman’s purse. They were also accused of having stolen another woman’s purse and of intending to use her credit card to steal money, and of stealing one more woman’s purse, documents and necklace.

The court heard how the police, after receiving several reports of thefts in Valletta, notice the two accused entering a shop in the capital yesterday, and stealing a purse. They then tried to withdraw money with a credit card found in it.

Through the analysis of CCTV footage, the police were able to the determine that the two had been involved in other thefts.

The prosecution explained how the accused had only been caught because shop owners were cooperating with the police in giving them access to their CCTV footage, otherwise they might have left Malta without being apprehended.

Both accused pleaded guilty to the charged brought against them, with the defence appealing for leniency, since the Bulgarians were first-time offenders.

The Court, presided by Magistrate Joe Mifsud, gave both the accused an 18-month prison sentence – significantly less than the maximum sentence allowed by law – as it emphasised that while everyone was welcome to come to Malta, such visitors had to abide by the country’s laws.

“We are happy to have people come to our country, not only because it is one of the economy’s driving forces drives, but also because it helps our society learn about other cultures,” the Court said.

“But a balance has to be struck between the rights of the accused and the rights of society – public interest has to be protected,” it said. “People who have things stolen from them undergo a trauma, so the victims of a crime have to be understood.”

The accused were visibly very upset with the sentence, with both weeping loudly.

Inspector Priscilla Caruana Lee prosecuted.

Lawyer Yanika Camilleri was defence counsel to the accused.