A man caught on camera stealing from fuel stations last October has ended up in court again and accused of committing the same crime once again.

Dylan Spiteri, 26, was charged on Saturday with having stolen money from two fuel stations in the dead of night of February 10, as well as stealing money from a clothes store in Zabbar the previous evening.

Mr Spiteri is alleged to have made off with less than €700 from the three robberies, which however caused around €2,750 worth of damage, according to prosecutors.

The alleged thief, who lives in Għaxaq, was already facing similar charges related to a case dating back to October.

Back then, Mr Spiteri had admitted to stealing money from stores and fuel stations but had been granted bail until a probation officer assessed his attitude as part of a pre-sentencing report.

The accused, who suffers from a drug addiction problem, had enrolled himself in a drug rehabilitation course but quit it before it was completed. He was due to begin a second rehabiliation course in 10 days.

On Saturday, his lawyers asked the court to grant Mr Spiteri bail on the grounds that the accused had shown a desire to getting off drugs by enrolling in the rehab course.

Prosecutors argued that Mr Spiteri could not be trusted to respect bail conditions and noted that a probation officer had also argued that the accused should be kept in custody.

Magistrate Gabriella Vella denied the bail request and ordered that Mr Spiteri be remanded in custody.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri were counsel for the defence. Inspectors Alfredo Mangion, Paul Camilleri and Roderick Attard prosecuted.