A man has been accused of violently robbing two women in separate muggings earlier this month.
Gilmore Grima, 23, from Kalkara, was served with a warrant of arrest on Wednesday when investigators zoomed in upon him as the prime suspect after closely examining CCTV footage from the crime scenes.
Prosecuting Inspectors Fabian Fleri, Lydon Zammit and Paul Camilleri explained in court on Thursday how the first mugging on October 12 had taken place just before 7:00pm at Tarxien when a 65-year old woman was robbed of her necklace.
Four days later, a similar episode of violence had occurred at Kalkara, targeting a 69-year old woman who was robbed of her personal possessions.
Inspector Zammit explained how CCTV footage with respect to the first robbery had featured the suspect thief, both before and after the incident. Moreover, the description given by the victim had “perfectly matched” that of the prime suspect, the court was told.
As for the second robbery, the prosecution said that the police had received fresh information that the stolen items had been tracked down, while investigators were still getting the victim’s account of the alleged theft.
Those possessions had, in fact, been found at a place visited by the accused, Inspector Zammit said.
Acting upon an arrest warrant, the police had closed in upon the suspect who had allegedly admitted to the Tarxien theft during police questioning, the court was told.
During today’s arraignment, the man pleaded not guilty and requested bail, while his lawyer Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici informed the court, presided over by magistrate Joseph Mifsud, that the man was requesting permission to visit his son in hospital.
However, the court declared that it had a duty to protect society at large and would not tolerate such violence, especially against vulnerable elderly victims who deserved respect, thereby denying bail.
The court further urged the man to mend his ways and assume the responsibilities of fatherhood, for the good of his son who would likely suffer on account of the father’s wrongdoing, entrusting to the Director of Prisons the decision to grant the accused the requested permission to visit the boy in hospital.