Court gives second chance to dance school burglar

A man has been handed a suspended sentence after he admitted to breaking into and stealing from a school.

Joseph Buttigieg from Marsa was accused of theft from a Marsa dance school during the night on the 21 June.

Aside from aggravated theft charges, Buttigieg, 45, was also accused of criminal damage and recidivism.

Lawyer Yanika Bugeja, as legal aid, asked to approach the bench, where the case was discussed out of earshot of the public.

Later, the accused pleaded guilty to the charges, telling his lawyer that he was certain about his admission when she turned to confirm this with him.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke handed him an 18 months prison sentence suspended for 3 years. The court explained the implications of the suspended sentence to the accused – if he is jailed for any other offence in the next 3 years, he would have to serve an additional 18 months for this crime. “If you have problems, solve them. Don’t create more. There is help available for you,” said the magistrate.

Inspector Wayne Camilleri prosecuted.