Charged with attempted theft

Raymond Abela, 38, of Floriana, yesterday appeared before Magistrate Antonio Mizzi charged with trying to steal over Lm1,000 worth of goods from Martin's Video Centre in Balzan.

He was further accused of stealing Lm5.50 and of accepting stolen goods to sell or pass on to third parties.

Abela was accused of damaging goods worth over between Lm50 and Lm500 and of being in possession of keys and tools used for the break-in.

He was further accused of attacking or violently resisting police officers, of driving an unlicensed vehicle, of being a relapser and of breaching a suspended sentence.

The accused pleaded guilty but defence lawyer Franco Debono said he wanted to check whether the period of his client's suspended sentence had elapsed. He also asked for a pre-sentencing report to be prepared by the Probation Services.

The accused was granted bail against a number of conditions, a deposit of Lm3,000 and a personal guarantee of Lm7,000.

Police Inspectors Jeffrey Cilia and Victor Aquilina prosecuted.