Bail denied to would-be robbers fought off by 80-year-old woman

A man and woman have been remanded in custody after they were charged with the violent attempted robbery of an 80-year-old woman.

Leslie Farrugia, 27, and Susanne Camilleri, 33, who live together in Cospicua, appeared before Magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace accused of the attempt, which took place on 11 September in Triq Hompesch, Fgura at around 4:15pm.

Camilleri alone was also accused of slightly injuring the elderly victim, while Farrugia was additionally charged with breaching bail and a suspended sentence as well as recidivism.

Inspector Lydon Zammit told the court that the pair had committed a crime targeting a vulnerable person, an octogenarian. Even though the crime was unsuccessful because the woman resisted her assailants, it was an aggravated offence, he said.

The pair, who told the court that they were unemployed, both pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Their defence counsel, legal procurator Peter Paul Zammit requested bail. He pointed out that the court was dealing with two people with different criminal records and circumstances, but that the same overarching principle applied: the presumption of innocence.

He noted that Hompesch Road had many CCTV cameras and asked that an expert be appointed to preserve the footage before it is overwritten. The police said that they had a copy of the footage and would pass it on to the defence at the next sitting.

He also insisted on a written transcript of the accused’s statements to the police, not just an audiovisual record.

On their part, the police objected to bail on the grounds that the principal witness is the elderly victim who is yet to testify.

The court upheld the objection, denying bail for this reason, and in Farrugia’s case, due to the untrustworthiness of the accused. The two accused clasped each others' hands in the dock after they were informed that they were to be remanded in custody.

As the sitting drew to a close, Farrugia became irate, arguing with the inspector, but piped down after the court threatened to fine the accused €5,000 each for contempt.