Bail for men charged with Playmobil theft

Two men accused of stealing Playmobil toys have been released on bail nearly two weeks after they were charged with the crime.

Douglas Briffa, 28, and Ahmad Yassine, 38, were arraigned before Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit on 13 September and charged with handling stolen goods as well as stealing the toys in a theft aggravated by means, place, value and time. The value of the stolen goods was put at €12,000.

Briffa alone was also charged with breaching previous bail conditions.

Both men had denied the charges and requested bail, but this was refused.

In a decree handed down this week, the court released the men from arrest against a deposit of €1,000 and a personal guarantee of €10,000 each. They were also ordered to sign a bail book every day and observe a curfew.

Inspector Roderick Attard is prosecuting. Lawyers Franco Debono and Amadeus Cachia are defence counsel to Briffa, while lawyer Arthur Azzopardi is appearing for Yassine.