Community service for boy thieves with poor upbringing

Two teenage boys who admitted to stealing were put on probation and ordered to carry out 100 hours of community service after a magistrate heard how they hailed from broken families and had a poor upbringing.

A third boy was given a suspended jail term when the magistrate heard that he did not cooperate with a probation officer and, as a result, probation was not appropriate.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera heard the three boys - a 17-year-old from Floriana, another 17-year-old from Valletta and an 18-year-old from Valletta - plead guilty to stealing from Fort St Elmo on October 16, 2003.

The 17-year-old from Valletta also admitted to relapsing and committing the crime during the operative time of a suspended jail term.

The names of the boys are not being published because they were minors at the time of the commission of the crime.

After hearing the three boys plead guilty, the magistrate appointed a probation officer to compile a pre-sentencing inquiry report for each one.

The magistrate heard how the 17-year-old from Floriana had an unhappy upbringing. When his parents were separating, he developed negative behaviour both socially and at school.

The boy told the probation officer that he did not intend to steal from the fort but went inside as an adventure. But then theft became part of the adventure.

Magistrate Scerri Herrera put him on probation for two years and ordered him to carry out 100 hours of community service.

The magistrate then heard that the 17-year-old from Valletta came from a big family with problems ranging from mental health to lack of money.

His parents had not made the necessary effort to provide him with an adequate upbringing. In fact, he often played truant and kept bad company.

Although he had displayed deviant behaviour he showed a positive change when meeting with the probation officer.

The magistrate put him on probation for three years, ordered that he carry out 100 hours of community service and fined him Lm50 for committing the crime during a suspended jail term.

As for the 18-year-old, the magistrate heard that he failed to collaborate with the probation officer and, since no pre-sentencing report could be compiled, the court had no guideline on which to base judgement.

She handed down the young man a nine-month jail term suspended for three years.

Police Inspectors Carmelo Bartolo and Ramon Mercieca prosecuted.