Two men suspected of carrying out a spate of nighttime thefts in Senglea, causing concern among residents, were jailed upon their arraignment on Sunday.

Emanuel Bianchi, a 36-year-old from St Paul’s Bay and Gilmour Flask, a 23-year-old Senglea resident, were tracked down by investigators from the district police station, following reports in recent days about a number of thefts which were troubling the local community.

Working on CCTV footage and reports, police soon zeroed in on the suspects who were arrested and charged with stealing tools from an uninhabited house.

Various items had gone missing throughout the night over a six-day span in March.

The two men were also charged with stealing tables stacked outside a Senglea restaurant, currently shut down for business amid the COVID-19 outbreak.  

Bianchi was separately charged with breaching the terms of a probation order handed down in November 2018 as well as relapsing. 

Prosecuting Inspector Eman Hayman explained that the nighttime thefts had caused distress within the locality, prompting residents to keep a lookout for the suspects. 

Both accused, currently homeless, pleaded guilty.

The court, presided over by magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, declared them guilty upon their own admission, condemning Flask to a nine-month jail term, while his partner in crime was condemned to a jail term of 18 months. 

Lawyer Veronica Anne Spiteri was defence counsel.