A man accused of stealing expensive furniture and pottery from a Mosta garage was denied bail on Saturday after pleading not guilty to charges against him.

Emanuel Degabriele, 31, from Siġġiewi, was arrested in connection with a series of thefts from the same garage which took place over the summer, between July and September.

Thousands of euro worth of furniture, pottery and televisions were stolen from the private premises. The stolen items were later found in a shop in the southern part of Malta, being sold as sale items. 

Police investigating the theft eventually zeroed in on Degabriele, who was arrested and taken to court on Friday, where he pleaded not guilty to aggravated theft as well as driving without a licence. 

He was further charged with breaching previous bail conditions issued in February 2019.

The prosecution objected to Degabriele’s request for bail, citing the gravity of the charges and the fact that civilian witnesses were still to testify. 

After hearing submissions by both parties the court, presided over by magistrate Nadine Lia, turned down the request and remanded the accused in custody. 

Inspector Godwin Scerri prosecuted. Lawyers Gianluca Caruana Curran and Charles Mercieca were defence counsel.