A man who managed to beat his drug addiction found himself back behind bars after unpaid debts allegedly forced him back to a life of crime.

Leslie Farrugia, a 27-year old Cospicua resident, is looking for a job but his bail was turned down, much to the dismay of his defence counsel Peter Paul Zammit, who argued to the court that the situation would only get worse if the man was not able to find work.

The man stands charged with stealing a Yamaha Sigma motorcycle, that was parked in Żabbar Road, Fgura, shortly after midnight on June 20.

Investigators allegedly zoomed in on the suspect both on the strength of CCTV footage as well as an anonymous tip-off that the bike might have been in Mr Farrugia’s possession.

Prosecuting inspector Paul Camilleri explained that the suspect had told investigators where they could find the motorcycle and had actually led them to it.

The man was arrested and arraigned on Monday, pleading not guilty to the aggravated theft and requesting bail.

The request was objected to by the prosecution in view of the fact that the man allegedly kept bad company and could easily go into hiding to escape those who chased him over unsettled dues.

After hearing submissions by both parties, the Court, presided over by magistrate Rachel Montebello, turned down the request for bail, declaring that it was not convinced that the man would abide by bail conditions.