The man who is facing charges over the theft of gold medals from the Maritime Museum last month was back in court on Friday, where he pleaded guilty to stealing almost €1,000 from a Valletta establishment.

Justin Mallia, 26, from Cospicua, admitted to the theft of €960 from a room where money was stored at the back of the Valletta Food Market.

The theft occurred on March 14, a few days before the gold medals were stolen.

Before Magistrate Victor Axiak, Mallia pleaded guilty and offered to pay back the amount he had stolen. He also pleaded guilty to being a relapse.

The magistrate gave him time to reconsider his plea and once confirmed, jailed him for a year. He also ordered him to pay back the amount stolen within six months of his release from jail.

The court heard how Mallia was arrested in jail after CCTV footage confirmed that he had stolen the cash from two cashboxes in a back room of the Valletta establishment.

Inspector Gabriel Micallef told the court that Mallia immediately admitted to the theft upon his arrest.

Lawyer Tilden Tabone, from the office of the Attorney General also prosecuted while lawyer Martina Herrera appeared for the man as legal aid.   

Mallia is currently being held in preventive custody over the theft of gold medals from the Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa.

He allegedly posed as an official from the education department, visiting the museum to deliver documents, when he allegedly stole the gold medals to settle debts.

He was arrested before he had time to sell the items worth €400,000 but the medals were placed inside a pouch and were subsequently damaged.

The case is still pending.